PRESIDENT // DOOM LOOP

PRESIDENT are back at it again, this time with a brand new single DOOM LOOP as well as announcing their first full length record Blood of Your Empire coming on September 4th. After the last two releases, one I wrote about (Angel Wings) and one I didn't (Mercy), this stands as the third entry from the ten track LP coming later this year - and after the last two singles blowing my mind in a way this band seems to continue to do, I was extremely excited for this release. So, here are my thoughts on this brand new PRESIDENT track;

As much as I'm a sucker for a good meaningful song, I do think the spoken word intro to this one is a little unnecessary. I understand that these songs have some real emotional punch behind them, but I think sometimes those themes should be left to be found by the listener, and not soften the blow by saying it all outright. However, it's an excellent sentiment, and one that hangs heavy throughout the track - the slow and irreversible passage of time, and how sometimes we wait to experience things in the rearview instead of cherishing what's right infront of us.

This song is a buzzing, neon cascade of synths and texture. In it's opening it looms, playing between a hefty electronic drum beat and wailing synth melodies. Through the digital comes the click of the Hi-Hat, slicing through the landscape of digital tension. On top of all this comes the vocals floating above, lethal and pointed in their delivery. It's a song of dichotomy, but one this band knows how to balance on a knife edge.

You'll hear people saying that a band has 'found their sound' - and it can definitely be said for PRESIDENT. The blend of the hardcore chorus, the choppy distorted guitar, the digital beat melding with the live performed drums of Vice, it's a glorious cacophony of sound and absolute musical precision. The chorus is a violent soundscape, but it's honed edge cuts deeply. It's both viscerally brutal, but emotionally devastating - both due to the lyrical content, but the desperate delivery.

In the later verses and chorus, you feel that texture even more. The almost insect buzzing of the synth, the digital melodies reverberating in the background, all coming together to crescendo into a breakdown of epic proportions. It wouldn't be a PRESIDENT song without one, and it's perfectly earned and executed with razor sharp precision and musicianship.

Overall;

When I say that PRESIDENT is one of the most exciting bands on the metal scene at the minute, please know I genuinely mean it. I have never experienced a band this sonically rich and diverse since first hearing Sleep Token, and feel that this bands rise to fame is one that is extremely similar, but also extremely different. PRESIDENT have zeroed in on a sound that takes no prisoners, that moves in it's own unexpected ways, and will balance it's own delicate themes with the heaviest of instrumentation. It's a joy to listen to, and I cannot wait to see where they head next with the other seven tracks that will be on their brand new album. This song is evidence that the machine that this band is building is by no means grounding to a halt, and that they have both the skill and determination to push more boundaries, and blow many more minds. I'm going to have this one on repeat for a while, and I can't wait to press play on it again soon.

Rating: 5/5