Zur deutschen Version dieser Review geht es hier.
Off to Austria! Just in time for the summer vacation season, we’re turning our attention to our Alpine neighbor and the new single from ONE LAST STORY that is due to be released tomorrow! With Blackout, they continue to delve deeper into the new phase of their band’s history, which began with Breakdowns.
As a magazine that loves to support up-and-coming bands, we’ve of course been listening very closely! So, long story short: Let’s go!
Right at the start of the song, the band catches listeners off guard by launching into a breakdown, only to ultimately ease into the first vocal parts very calmly. I understand the reasoning behind this—which is likely to break away from traditional patterns and shift listeners’ expectations. Ultimately, though, it takes away some of the excitement for me, and in my view, it’s put together a bit awkwardly.
“Blackout” then quickly picks up speed, only to hit us with its first emotional chorus at 0:45. It’s impossible to overlook the fact that this song comes from the capable hands of producer Christoph Wieczorek, but he and ONE LAST STORY have done a good job of highlighting the band’s strengths and incorporating his expertise without losing sight of the essence of what makes ONE LAST STORY unique.
Singer Ani’s voice has a slightly snotty edge to it, and that’s a vibe that reminds me a bit of SETYØURSAILS’ vocals—and I really like it. Combined with the harsh vocals, it creates a “What do you actually want from me?!” kind of vibe, which I rarely find in metalcore. This is also where ONE LAST STORY’s greatest potential lies: The metalcore market is highly competitive, and this sense of composure makes the music seem more mature—which could strike a chord with an older audience, even though the scene is otherwise dominated by younger fans.
In terms of songwriting overall, however, I would have liked to see more boldness in crafting precise lyrics. The song has a lot of energy, but it feels a bit exhausting—and perhaps even redundant—especially in the final chorus. If they’d cut it down a bit here, they could have ended Blackout on an emotional high. On the other hand, the upside is that we finally have a longer song again!
Finally, it’s worth highlighting that the music video for this song was created in collaboration with Sea Shepherd Austria. It features documentary footage of devastating environmental destruction, thereby drawing attention in an emotional way to the overexploitation we’re inflicting on our planet.
So if you’re in the mood for a different kind of metalcore in the vein of ANNISOKAY or SETYØURSAILS, you should definitely check out ONE LAST STORY!
Shieldmaiden's Voice 