Blending elements of groove metal and melodic hardcore, with influences from Machine Head and Sevendust, Irish band Asylum Road delivered some absolutely massive riffs on their brilliant EP ‘The Fear’ in 2024. A couple of the vocals might have split opinion with their genuinely abrasive approach, but from a musical standpoint – and looking at the material in terms of tightly played, classic metal, without sounding at all dated – the material was first rate.
The band’s current single ‘Mask of Oblivion’ continues in a similar vein, but if anything shows off an even stronger band. Before their signature heavy sound kicks in, though, an extended intro shares a strong blend of atmosphere and melody. A slow drone fades in, over which a harmonic twin lead guitar drops a slow, mournful tune. There’s a sense of something dark at its heart, and a knowing feeling of something heavier about to emerge, but it’s a fantastic way to open the track. The expected heavy riff brings with it more of a staccato approach, and the sharp edged guitars blend classic thrash and hardcore in a seamless manner, before a huge, gravel edged vocal completes the picture in grand style.
A strange harmony applied to the chorus threatens to derail the enjoyably heavy sound that’s quickly set in place through the strong verse. It lacks melody and a really off-kilter tone makes it hard to listen to, but it could be said that it’s certainly distinctive and almost unlike anything else. Thankfully the elements built around that offer some great heavy melodies, ranging from the band’s usual blend of metal and hardcore, to a sharp edged lead break which brings surprisingly old school sounds to Asylum Road’s huge musical palate, and even a quiet piano coda that sounds more in keeping with a film score, which brings an even bigger sense of scale to the track.
On the basis of this track, which certainly uses several different elements to its advantage without ever feeling like a cut ‘n’ paste affair, it’ll be interesting to hear where Asylum Road take their audience next. In the meantime, you can take a listen to ‘Mask of Oblivion’ below.