Hailing from Hancock County, Ohio, metalcore/post-hardcore rowdies The Plot In You have been shaking our world since 2010 with their wrecking ball riffs, gritty vocals and pummelling drums. You’d expect such a band to mellow over time, but not so with this quartet. Following their previous EP by a matter of months, Vol. 2 presents three tracks that each show a different facet of the band’s modus operandi for an EP that shines like a black diamond.
On hearing opening shot ‘Closure’ you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’ve entered the wrong room; it’s a song that has a pop sensibility (it saw some action on the Mainstream Rock chart) and it swings with a neat little shuffle. It’s the type of song that’ll make a beeline to your memory bank, and will haunt you for the rest of the day. However, the band’s trademark heaviness is still very much in evidence, yet those pugnacious riffs and punchy drums are used more as punctuation to mark the end of each line. It means that when they hit, they hit hard and are all the more powerful for their rarity value. It means that ‘Closure’ is both heavy and lithe, and would suit a rowdy gig or late night contemplation equally well, and it’s the push and pull between the two that makes it sparkle so.
It’s normal service resumed for ‘Don’t Look Away’ with the band wheeling out the heavy artillery for a truly punishing track. With very little warning it appears with a throat-shredding blast from vocalist Landon Tewers which ensures ‘Don’t Look Away’ detonates like a hydrogen bomb. In fact, the production turns the spotlight on Landon’s voice, and it proves a wise move. We get to hear every grunt, sigh and inflection which turns his vocals into another instrument and ensures that the band sound far bigger than their constituent parts. If ‘Closure’ was a feint to throw us off guard, it works because ‘Don’t Look Away’ lands the knockout punch.
Although this EP is only a three-tracker, it certainly feels a lot longer and that’s primarily due to the amount of ideas the band have thrown into the pot. Yet it never feels cluttered and parting shot ‘All That I Can Give’ employs lots of space for a truly massive conclusion. A fine companion to Vol. 1, the second instalment promises much future mayhem.
- Vol. 2 is released via Fearless Records on 3rd May 2024.
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Track List:
- Closure
- Don’t Look Away
- All That I Can Give
