Album Review: Internal Conflict - A P O R I A
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
After the first listen to 'A P O R I A' the sophomore album from Internal Conflict, I was left with more questions than answers. The songs from the 5-piece metal outfit from Leicester, appeared to be a hybrid of far too many styles, with a vocal ranging from shouty to soft, from throaty to gruff, all wrapped in riffs and leads that did not appear to be going anywhere. Had I just not been paying attention to the melodies enough, or the lyrical content or the heart and soul that has gone into this record?
I couldn’t have been more wrong and should clean the wax out of my ears more often, as on the second and third listens, I could tell that these guys mean business and the passion is clearly audible throughout the songs. The expansive vocal range of frontman Adam Kyle, is exceptionally good, backed up vocally by guitarist Matt Hall, who adds a bit more subtlety to the lyrical content.
The band are addressing some key issues in their lives, family breakdowns, mental health issues, parenthood, being in a band in the digital age, and have delivered 8 songs, beginning with opener 'Kingdom of Apathy' that are emotive, raw and full of passion. The songs flow together easily, the musicianship is excellent, Chris Bentley on drums and Dan Laffer on bass, are very tight, and provide solid foundations for Matt Hall and Sean Rice on guitars, to hit the listener with a mixture of groovy melodies and heavy riffs.
'Atlas Down' is the standout track for me, full of aggression and attitude, and delivered with a fuck you attitude, and the cleaner vocals adds great context to the song, before it rises up again like a phoenix, taking the song to a higher plain. 'Kayfabe' wraps the album up by taking aim at the way social media is creating characters that cannot be played out in real life and this dark lyrical content doesn’t deter from the fact that the songs are well executed, with some great atmospheric parts throughout the record and I can see this being a hit within the metal scene.
Internal Conflict release 'A P O R I A' on July 9th.
ICYMI - Internal Conflict were shipwrecked on Devil's Island a few weeks ago. Find out what happened here.
