Notanumber
I won’t be the first and certainly not the last to comment on Notanumber’s description of themselves as “probably the best post-melodic country metalcore band in the underground scene of the southern area of Rome”, but it’s such a beauty it would be neglectful of me not to include it here, if for no other reason than so others can firstly revel in its dumb-as-fuck hilarity before moving on to feeling inherently confounded by the fact they’re so obviously not taking the piss. Questions such as “what the fuck is post-melodic country metalcore?” aside, and ignoring both the fact that bold statements such as this are barely a step up from declaring you’re the best band in like your whole street and that a metalcore fan I most definitely am not, these guys are strict adherents to the metalcore formula (including the requisite sweeping fringes) and make it work.
Italy’s Notanumber have been flying the metalcore flag since 2004 and have just released their debut E.P. titled “The Great Storm Upon Us”, featuring four tracks those with a few Bullet For My Valentine or In Flames records in their collections should wholeheartedly embrace. Anyone looking for an alternative to the predictable metalcore song structure replete with fast tempo verses, breakdowns and slower choruses will be disappointed, as will those expecting something other than clean vocals interchanged with screams and grunts, or taking that one step further, anyone expecting a vocalist who doesn’t sound like Trivium’s Matt Heafy. However, all of the formulaic metalcore traits are demonstrated equally as well on “The Great Storm Upon Us” as they are by any of the bigger name metalcore acts doing the rounds at the moment, so with that in mind these guys definitely deserve a look in if that’s the kind of shit you’re into.
Coming in at a mere twenty minutes there’s not too much to sink your teeth into here, though maybe that works to its advantage, not going on for long enough to get repetitious. The title track is definitely the standout, kicking off with enough marauding blastbeats, bestial grunts, and buzzing riffs to get even the most precious listener jumping around, possibly even displacing a few strands of their perfectly manicured coiffure along the way, and the inclusion of an acoustic guitar moment juxtaposed with a classic rock-esque guitar solo in ‘Follow the Raven’ is actually pretty damn cool.
If you’re into any of the current crop of bands touting their metalcore wares, you’ll find Notanumber’s “The Great Storm Upon Us” highly digestible and a juicy appetizer to the full length to be released early next year.