All But One
Square One
(Lifeforce Records)
All But One works way better than it should on paper. The group are a side project from the guitarist of pirate metal group Alestorm, Mate Bodor, who recruited members of Heaven Shall Burn, When Our Time Comes, and Atmospheres to create a pop metal band. That gives off the impression of how lame modern In Flames have become, but Square One is so very much more. I should have guessed, given how bombastic Alestorm are, that this project would, at the very least, be fun; however, All But One have absolutely nailed a mix of stupidly catchy pop melodies and flashy metal. The sound on this debut record comes across as a mix of the shreddy metalcore of I Am Abomination (remember them?) and the stadium-sized thrash-lite of Wovenwar. All But One have melded melody and metal to near perfection throughout this fantastic record.
Joe Carter-Hawkins’ tenor is perfect for this music: soaring and melodic. He would fit on a number of Risecore bands (think Hands Like Houses and Memphis May Fire), but he sounds a tad less nasally than the standard, which is very welcome. It doesn’t hurt that the actual music is constantly enjoyable. There are quite a few moments that get actually heavy (“Serenity” and “The Reaper, The Sower” come to mind), but the guitar work on this record is truly impressive, flashy yet always melodic.
It makes complete sense that this record was produced from actual metal musicians because Square One feels like the perfect gateway metal band to gently ease new fans into the world of metal. It’s definitely heavier and more rooted in metal than a lot of the current melodic metalcore/post-hardcore scene, but the melodies are undeniably good. This won’t likely win over too many serious metalheads, but those looking for something to play while their friends and family are around couldn’t do much better.
Purchase the album here: Physical | Digital
