For over a decade, the progressive metal band, Volumes, (Myke Terry- vocals, Michael Barr- vocals, Raad Soudani- bass, Nick Ursich- drums) has been releasing incredible music. With their bouncy riffs, groovy breakdowns, and shared vocals, Volumes has proven they lead their subgenre in excellence. Their upcoming release, “Happier?” is sure to please. The album will be released on November 19th, through Fearless Records. This is their first full-length album in four years, their first since the death of the band’s friend and guitarist, Diego Farias, and their first release since the return of vocalist Michael Barr. Expectations are high, and “Happier?” exceeds them.
The album starts out with “FBX.” This is the shortest song on the album but is no less brutal than the rest. It starts with an eerie intro that soon transitions to an aggressive riff that is guaranteed to have your head bobbing. “Malevolent” follows with a slightly faster tempo and wicked vocals. The next song, “Bend,” is one of my favorites on the album. When it comes to metalcore albums, I normally don’t care for songs with primarily clean vocals, but this song really takes the listener on an emotional journey both musically and lyrically. It was released as a single on October 7th and received positive reviews.
The first single that the band released from this album was “Get Enough.” While there are some beautiful clean vocals in this single, it remains much heavier than “Bend” and does an incredible job of showcasing the band’s ability to blend heavy and soft dynamics. The band comments on the single, “‘Get Enough’ is about the point in someone’s life where everything eventually is for personal gain. Things can get very isolating and lonely when someone is knowingly going out of their way to use and deceive something or someone for self-benefit. The song is essentially having that conversation with yourself — a nice hard look in the mirror. In general, we feel like now more than ever with as instantly gratifying as life can be, it’s more important to always look at the bigger picture and take a breather. This song speaks to that narrative.
“Lets Me Down,” and “Man On Fire ” are both solid tracks for being thrown into the middle of the album’s tracklisting. The latter mentioned is really quite aggressive both musically and lyrically, which I’m certain will be a favorite by many. “Weighted” was released as a single on September 24th and is a perfect example of how the vocals of Mike and Myke intertwined to deliver a knockout single. “See You Again,” features ruthless prog riffs, “Into You (Hurt),” has a breakdown that will send chills up your spine, and “Void” is just an all-around solid Volumes song. The band’s title track and most recent single, “Happier?” was released on October 28th and touches on a vulnerable and darker subject. Of the track, the band says “[it] is about how you watch someone destroy themselves and ultimately end up in a darker, negative space and feeling like your hands are tied. It’s about feeling helpless to the fact that you once knew someone completely different than the person who is standing in front of you.”
As I mentioned earlier, Volumes has been pleasing fans with their progressive metalcore sound for over 10 years now, but with several years to reorient themselves and welcome the return of Michael Barr, this may be the most solid release the band has ever put out. “Happier?” is the album fans have been waiting to feel.
