(Andy Synn has a lot to say about Dying Wish and their meteoric, and well-earned, rise today)
There are some people, you know the ones, who will tell you that bands becoming more melodic, more popular, more “accessible”, is inherently a bad thing.
Heck, the name of our site is itself a tongue-in-cheek reference to a specific version of this particular phenomenon.
By the same token, however, I think it’s worth noting that “accessibility” isn’t the be-all and end-all – Imagine Dragons may be more “accessible” than Imperial Triumphant… in fact I’m pretty sure they are… but I know which one I’d rather listen to – and that “popularity” doesn’t necessarily correlate with actual “quality”.
And with the recent resurgence of Hardcore/Metalcore in the mainstream consciousness – I’m talking bands dropping massive breakdowns on live tv, showcasing unexpected pop-star collaborations, and hitting headliner status on festivals which previously wouldn’t have given them a second glance – I can absolutely understand why some folks might be concerned about “the scene” sacrificing integrity in favour of dubious celebrity.
But I’m here to tell you that just because a band starts to get “big” – and Dying Wish are well on their way – that doesn’t mean they suddenly become “bad”.
Now, let me make one thing clear… I was a big fan of Dying Wish‘s previous album, Symptoms of Survival – it was on the shortlist for my “Personal Top Ten” of 2023, in fact – and have been watching the band’s well-earned success since then (which has included major national and international tours supporting the likes of The Acacia Strain, Spiritbox, and Poppy, as well as several increasingly sold-out headlining runs) with great pleasure.
That being said, I was definitely curious, and possibly even a little concerned, about how they would ultimately end up handling their new-found fame and notoriety and how it might end up changing their sound.
Unsurprisingly – and, in light of the way they left things with “Lost In The Fall” on their last album, I’d have been both shocked and a little disappointed if they hadn’t gone down this route – Flesh Stays Together places more focus on the frankly outstanding vocals of frontwoman Emma Boster, particularly her phenomenal singing voice, whose soaring, soulful tones are most often responsible for giving the band’s third album a (slightly) more “accessible” (not to mention downright emotional) vibe than it’s predecessor.
Note that I said “slightly” there… as while there are a few moments (and I’m talking moments, rather than whole tracks) which perhaps slip a little far into Spiritbox (or, if we’re being less generous, In This Moment) territory for my tastes – “Moments I Regret” and the title-track being the chief offenders – there are also just as many (if not more) of these “moments” whose chunky, churning, Bleeding Through-esque chuggery (“Revenge in Carnage”, “Empty The Chamber”, etc) are more than heavy enough to go toe-to-toe with previous punishers like “Prey For Me” and “Tongues of Lead”.
And while the “heavy parts vs quiet parts” dynamic and “good cop / bad cop” vocals are nothing new to the Metal scene (especially the Metalcore scene) – not that Dying Wish are trying to pretend otherwise – it’s important to note that the band are constantly and consistently giving 110% (unlike certain other acts who will occasionally just half-ass a bland, radio-friendly chorus in a desperate grasp at mainstream appeal), and never feel like they’re just trying to tick boxes or “sell out”.
If anything, the juxtaposition of absolutely humongous riffs and pit-ready percussive patterns with passages of simmering melodic melancholy and captivating clean-sung chorus refrains (which, more often than not, still possess a hefty metallic backbone which only adds to this sense of compelling contrast) is done so well that the very best bits of Flesh Stays Together – including hook-heavy (and just plain heavy) early highlight “A Curse Upon Iron”, the vicious-yet-vulnerable “I’ll Know You’re Not Around”, and moody mid-album stand-out “Nothing Like You” – effectively breathe new life into what might otherwise be an overly familiar formula.
Which, I guess, is the crux of things… for all that Flesh Stays Together stands to position Dying Wish as the next big mainstream Metalcore success story (if they aren’t already) the execution throughout (shout out to guitarists Sam Reynolds and Pedro Carrillo for continuing to bring the thunder) is simply so good – as cliché as it might sound, penultimate powerhouse “Heaven Departs” just might be that rare track which actually is both “the heaviest and most melodic thing they’ve ever done” – that you can’t help but root for them.
Well, I can’t, anyway.