Bury Tomorrow - 'Cannibal' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Choke

2. Cannibal

3. The Grey (VIXI)

4. Imposter

5. Better Below

6. The Agonist

7. Quake

8. Gods & Machines

9. Voice & Truth

10. Cold Sleep

11. Dark Infinite

Southampton Metalcore five piece Bury Tomorrow return with the release of their sixth studio album 'Cannibal', now set to release July 3rd after being postponed from its initial release date of April 3rd.

Bury Tomorrow certainly had a challenge on their hands to follow up 2018’s 'Black Flame', with many considering that album to be one of their best releases, but they have definitely risen to the challenge, expanding on everything they did on their fifth album in a natural progression within the band’s sound, learning from each previous release.

'Cannibal' opens on the third single released from the album ‘Choke’, a mammoth of a Metalcore song combining elements from several different genres. Unclean vocalist Daniel Winter-Bates’ growls lead the charge, viciously snarling ‘Sick of hiding the truth, Fucking lying to you, No more time left for hope, At the end of your rope, Choke’, which is the perfect opener to this album. The dynamic between Winter-Bates’ growls and rhythm guitarist Jason Cameron’s clean vocals in the chorus brings an epic, soaring feel to the track, especially when the chorus comes crashing back in after the breakdown.

Third track and lead single ‘The Grey VIXI’ shows off the range of the band in phenomenal fashion, and was definitely a great choice to be the first single put out from Cannibal. This song is an arena anthem for the Metalcore generation. Full of incredible fills and precise double bass drum beats from drummer Adam Jackson and Davyd Winter-Bates’ pounding bassline that provide the backdrop for Kristan Dawson’s phenomenal riffs, this could well become one of the most memorable Metalcore tracks ever released. ‘The Gray VIXI’ serves as a journey through Bury Tomorrow’s musical evolution in a neat four minute package.

The standout track for me on this album has to be ‘Quake’, a brutal slow-burner of a song that holds some of the best Metalcore guitar work. The quiet verse lures you in with Cameron’s gentle, melodic vocals and Dawson’s pondering riff, which are then swiftly replaced in a bombastic, aggressive chorus. The song rises and falls in such a beautiful way, it is the perfect remedy to anyone who says that Metal is “just noise”. The track ends as it begins, slowly fading out with an atmospheric instrumental. This is the song that sets Bury Tomorrow as a band and 'Cannibal' as an album apart from the rest of the crowd.

The second standout is the brutal ‘Voice And Truth’. It lies on the other end of the spectrum to ‘Quake’; brutal from the outside. This song is pure energy, pushing everything to the limits. The vocal work from both Winter-Bates and Camreon is breathtaking. The fast frantic guitars and drums in the verses are sure to get any crowd moving. The two solo shows the talent and harmony of each band member, and proves how underrated Dawson is as a guitarist. ‘Voice And Truth’ is pure Metalcore gold.

The word that best describes 'Cannibal' is more. More brutal, more aggressive, more dynamic. The band constantly, yet rather subtly, evolves their sound while staying true to themselves and their fans. I can easily see Bury Tomorrow becoming one of the biggest names in British Metal in the very near future, especially if they carry on with this energy. Do not sleep on this album when it releases.