It’s not often that you get to come across a band so early that they don’t even have a full project to their name yet. This is how I came across LUMENS; a progressive metalcore band out of Adelaide, South Australia, who have released their self-titled debut EP.
To kick off the EP we have Primrose, which starts off with this beautiful riff from guitarist George Carey. It almost has this tone and style that’s reminiscent of something you’d hear from Polyphia.
The intro lasts about 40 seconds before they really kick us into gear with the main riff; overall, the song is gorgeously chaotic. It pretty much has everything in one package, massive riffs, stunning vocals from Rhys Jackson Stars, a solo, a breakdown, blast beats from drummer Miles Sly. No matter what you like out of metalcore, this song covers all the bases.
Next is Hollowed Heart, another pre-released single from the project. This one is a heavy hitter, giving the listener no time to warm up or breathe throughout majority of the track.
Kicking off with some rapid guitar hits, leaving room for bassist Henry Scott to shine through in between. This one is a completely different vibe from the first song, as this is almost bridging into more a melodic hardcore territory reminding me almost of Boundaries in the best way possible.
In the latter half of the EP we have Saviour of Peace and Dreamstate, which again sees the band honing into different influences.
The best way to describe Saviour of Peace is just bouncy and fun; it’s still a balls to the walls banger front to back featuring no clean vocals from Jackson Stars, but all the guitar work from Carey just makes you want to move.
Closing the project out we have Dreamstate, which is a more melodic focused cut from the band. Starting off with some clean guitar work from Carey that reminds me a lot of ERRA. It also features a massive anthemic chorus as Jackson Stars sings “seeking a lighter hand to hold.” The song closes us out with a beautiful guitar solo and that ERRA style intro riff again to end the experience on a gorgeous note.
Considering LUMENS have less songs to their name than I can count on two hands, I feel like I really struck gold here. They’ve showcased that there’s immense talent and potential; this project already has a fantastic polish for a band this early in their career.
The next step for these guys, is for their listeners to get them in as many ears as possible and I hope that the audience who reads this will not only find a new favourite band, but spread the gospel because LUMENS really are something special.
4/5
LUMENS self-titled EP is out now everywhere via Wild Thing Records
