When you hear Norwegian metal you automatically think Death, Black or Viking not metalcore, so this was a bolt out of the blue, but a very welcome one as Fixation followed up their 2023 debut “More Subtle Than Death” with this brilliant EP.
“{Grow A Flower}” is an interesting intro that gets the EP underway, it has a manic feel to it complete with heavy breathing and weird vocalising and an electro beat that carries into the opening frays of “Random Acts Of Violence” coupled with android style vocals, as the track expands it blows up into a cracker; a frantic drum beat matches the screaming vocals of Hansen and when he changes it up he gives you unbelievably clean and melodic singing, the thumping bass line is class adding a good bit of heft to the track and plays well of the crunching guitar riffs.
“{Pick The Petals}” is an instrumental very similar to the opener that leads nicely into “Blue Skies”, this is a phenomenal number that starts like any good metalcore track does with screaming vocals and a blistering drum beat before dropping to clean singing with a backdrop of a thundering bass line that pulls the track together, Hansen’s vocals soar melodically as the drums crash around with the guitar seemingly lifting the vocals even more before going full tilt, midway through the tempo drops and the track slows right down before reaching a crescendo as the track plays out, one of the best tracks on the EP. “{Tear It’s Thorns Off}” is an odd one with jumbled barely discernible vocals and a scratchy electro beat. “Tyrannical Miracle” is another fine example of how to do metalcore properly, clean and screamed singing play nicely off each other, a blistering drum beat that has some great electro infusions and a rumbling bass line that adds a really heaviness to the track with killer guitar work thrown in, this track is the total package and another contender for track of the EP. “{Blood Still On The Grass}” is an ethereal synth number with what sounds like monks chanting luring you in and bringing you along to the closing track “Fever Dreaming”; a slower calming offering to ease you to the end, softly strummed guitars and the synths combine wonderfully as the drums come crashing in over Hansen’s vocals, which seem to be verging on the pleading, it’s at the breakdown that the guitar and bass come to the fore giving the track an extra kick, a nice way to finish the EP.
Review Conor
Fixation are:
Jonas W Hansen Vocals
Martin S Selen Guitar
Tobias Osterdal Guitar
Oyvind Lunde Bass
Ola Donnem Drums
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