Counterparts, the Canadian Post-Melodic Hardcore 5-piece are back with their 7th studio album this week, A Eulogy for those still here. I’ve been a fan personally since I first heard the band with their 2015 release Tragedy Will Find Us thanks to the blend of filthy breakdowns, beautifully melancholic melodies and raw, emotional lyrics that pull you in with ease.
Upon starting the album with 7:26:2020, I found myself lost within the gorgeous atmosphere created over the incredibly short opening that leads into one of my favourite songs of the year, Whispers of Your Death, a track written about vocalist Brendan Murphy’s beloved cat Kuma and the illness he was living with. It’s a truly beautiful track that shows just how beloved and cared-for Kuma was and brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. Moving on, we have Bound by The Burn and Unwavering Vow, two tracks that take the tried and tested formula of their past two albums and perfect it effortlessly.
The album’s title track is up next and the guitar work is definitely the highlight of the track, a never-ending onslaught of riffs and melody that leads into a beautiful atmospheric break before crashing back into the aggressive instrumentals and harsh vocals. Skin Beneath a Scar is the first track of the album to do something almost completely fresh with a heavy dose of Post-Hardcore/Emo in the instrumentals before Sworn to Silence ramps the tempo and aggression back to 11 with a riff-infused anthem it’s impossible to sit still to thanks to the massive elements of Hardcore in the vocal performances and accompanying instrumentals.
As we move into the latter third of the album, we have What Mirrors Might Reflect, a love letter to the likes of Tragedy and You’re Not You Anymore, before Soil II offers a ridiculously heavy atmospheric break. The penultimate track, Flesh to Fill Your Wounds is an all-out assault on listeners, with a focus on heaviness and chunky riffs alongside a massive anthem of choruses. Finally, we have the explosive, anthemic closing track A Mass Grave of Saints, a track that somehow manages to encompass everything that makes Counterparts stand out so damn much against every contemporary they have in the scene.
Somehow, Counterparts have managed to take a sound that, I personally, thought was perfect and build upon it to create something truly different to every other Metalcore act in the scene. From ridiculously heavy topics and breakdowns to a beautiful atmosphere that it’s hard not to get emotional to, A Eulogy to Those Still Here is not only the band’s best album to date but one of the best heavy albums to be released this year. This is a must-hear.
A Eulogy For Those Still Here is out Friday, Oct 7th courtesy of Pure Noise Records
Review: Dan Stapleton
Preorder A Eulogy For Those Still Here:
https://lnk.to/counterparts
A Eulogy For Those Still Here track list:
1. 07/26/2020
2. Whispers of Your Death
3. Bound To The Burn
4. Unwavering Vow
5. A Eulogy For Those Still Here
6. Skin Beneath A Scar
7. Sworn To Silence
8. What Mirrors Might Reflect
9. Soil II
10. Flesh To Fill Your Wounds
11. A Mass Grave of Saints
Counterparts recently announced a European and UK album release tour for “A Eulogy For Those Still Here” starting next month, which replaces the postponed tour with The Amity Affliction.
The band will be supported by Justice For The Damn, Thrown (EU Only) and Cauldron (UK Only).
You can see the band at the following dates:
7th October – Netherlands Haarlem Patronaat – Tickets
8th October – Germany Göttingen Exil – Tickets
9th October – Germany Dresden Blauer Salon – Tickets
10th October – Poland Poznan Klub U Bazyla – Tickets
11th October – Germany München Backstage – Tickets
12th October – Austria Wien Flex Cafe – Tickets
13th October – Switzerland Baden Werkk – Tickets
14th October – Italy Vicenza Bocciodromo – Tickets
15th October – Germany Stuttgart Club Cann – Tickets
16th October – Germany Wiesbaden Kesselhaus – Tickets
17th October – Germany Trier Lucky’s Luke – Tickets
18th October – Germany Hamburg Headcrash – Tickets
19th October – Sweden Gothenburg Fängelset – Tickets
20th October – Norway Oslo Vaterland – Tickets
21st October – Sweden Stockholm Spinnrocken Södertälje – Tickets
22nd October – Denmark Copenhagen Vega – Tickets
23rd October – Germany Oberhausen Kulttempel – Tickets
24th October – Belgium Ghent De Chinastraat – Tickets
25th October – UK London Underworld – Tickets
26th October – UK Edinburgh The Mash House – Tickets
27th October – UK Leeds Key Club – Tickets
28th October – UK Southampton Joiners – Tickets
29th October – UK Cardiff Throwfest – Tickets
30th October – UK Sheffield Yellow Arch – Tickets