E.P. Review: Insurgent - Sentient
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
Hailing from the birthplace of heavy metal, Birmingham band Insurgent are ready to introduce themselves to the world with the release of their debut E.P., 'Sentient'.
Having all met at music college, the quintet is releasing a 6 song E.P. that combines soaring vocal melodies with crushing instrumentation, to produce songs that they have been crafted and produced over the last year.
I will be honest, I am not usually a fan of female singers in metal bands, as the vocals are something that usually put me off, but I have to admit that Kate Teitge has an amazingly powerful range and uses this exceptionally well, to lead the emotive songs and after the first few listens, I’m won over, as it all just fits perfectly together.
The songs are not complex with over complicated solos from guitarist Joe Rowley or layered with parts that take you down a rabbit hole from which you do not reappear, they are simple, easy to follow and well written modern metal songs. I like the fact that they have been written from the perspective of a God like figure, and on opening track 'Zero Sum' they analyse the negative behaviour of humans, whilst 'Dogma' is a heavier, fiercer track, that delves into a more sadistic territory.
The rhythm section of the band, Jake Brettle on bass and Mike Tebone on drums, combine well across all the tracks, as they chase that perfect blend between heavy rhythms and sounding new and exciting, and on 'Colours Bleed' and 'Eclipse' they have produced two excellent track that do this really well.
On closing song 'My Sentence Awaits' the band look at spiritual reflection and criticism of our creator and wraps up what is a cracking debut E.P. for the band, with challenging lyrics and great melodies, I look forward to seeing how far Insurgent can go.
