Heartline – Essence

WE’RE ALL THE SAME, WE’RE ALL AFRAID…

Over the last few years I have become increasingly more interested in the heavier metal genres. My musical adventures began with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Motorhead. All bands that – in their own eras – were considered “heavy-metal” bands. But times have certainly changed. To the modern headbanger, these bands are more “classic-rock” than anything else. And after spending the past year or two exploring the vast reaches of modern metal genres, I’d have to agree with that statement.

Genres like metal-core, death metal and progressive metal have become the new norm in the metal community. However, metal-core in particular has become an extremely popular sub-genre, from upcoming bands such as Heartline to the big boys like Beartooth, As I Lay Dying, Parkway Drive, The Word Alive, Bring Me The Horizon, Polaris and so many more. The amount of bands producing metal-core music has never been higher. So with all this variety and so much to listen to, why is Heartline’s new EP “Essence” worth our time?

To be perfectly honest when I heard of this EP’s release I was skeptical at best – as I am with most new releases. However, after listening through a few times, I was pleasantly surprised with Heartline’s performance. For those of you who have no idea who Heartline are, let me give you a quick breakdown. Forming in early 2019, Heartline are relatively new to the Adelaide metal scene. Since March of 2019 Heartline have been active, playing shows all around Adelaide’s metropolis – including venues like the Jive Bar and the Crown and Anchor Hotel. Playing alongside bands like Redhook, Windwaker, Pridelands and The Brave just to name a few.

So, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get into this EP.

Essence as a whole, is a solid first release for Heartline – aside from their first single, “Frail” released in February of 2019. The ambiance in the tracks is captivating. Nevenko Sarunic’s bass guitar is heavy and crushing. Fraser Stiles’ guitar is crisp yet wide with an excellent tone – as all metal guitars should be. In all music – whether it be jazz or metal – the drums can make it or break it for the sound of a band. This is especially true for metal-core. Drum performances in this genre are often hit-or-miss and occasionally they can sound messy or confusing. That is not the case here. Michael Cooper’s drum performances in this EP are excellent. The hits are tight and calculated, and the dynamics are very clearly controlled – even in the most intense moments of the tracks. The drums guide the songs and blend beautifully with Luke Taylor’s vocals, they never feel overpowering, confusing or unnecessary. They provide a great balance to the sound of the EP.

Now to the vocals. Luke Taylor’s performance in this EP is eye opening. Knowing Luke personally and hearing his voice in casual conversation, I would have never assumed he was a metal artist. But to everyone’s surprise including my own, Luke has an excellent vocal tone perfectly suited to the metal-core genre. His clean tone has that classic metal-core sound reminiscent of vocalists such as Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo and Bring Me The Horizon’s Oliver Sykes. But it’s in his screaming where my surprise truly came to fruition. His screams carry an emotional validity that lifts each track. They take you to a place of emotional relevance in the songs and – when coupled with the band – make each track memorable and purposeful in the ears of the listener.

After the prelude track, “Return”, the EP opens with it’s title track, “Essence”. The band hits hard at the start of the track and opens the EP with exactly the kind of aggression that fuels classic metal-core. Luke Taylor’s vocals are excellent in this song. The vocal melody carries a tension and anger throughout that pulls you kicking and screaming into the climax of the song. It’s hard not to head-bang to this one, it’s easily my favourite track on the EP. But after really listening to the lyrics, I began to see the underlying message in the song.

"As you enter that final mile,
There's a mother,
And there's a father,
About to lose a child."

It’s a tragic story about suicide, particularly it seems, teen suicide. But not from the perspective of the teenager. But instead, from the perspective of a witness. A witness to the descent of the teenager into a place of depression and suicidal thoughts. Which makes the song all the more impactful in the vocals and melody. The band carries the tension in the track and gradually moves the melody between periods of fast paced aggression and ambient tension. All the while the vocals conveying the story and holding a majority of the emotional weight.

"You're looking for a fix,
A bottle's burning kiss,
And a razor to the wrist,
They just make a mortal mix."

"Take a second take a moment just to think,
It's you they're gonna miss,
It's you they're gonna miss,
When they have to bury you in a ditch."

From anger to sadness, Luke’s vocals are compelling. A story of the witness desperately trying to convince the teenager to walk a different path. To find another way. But to no avail. It’s a song of grief and frustration. And Heartline have executed it perfectly.

The second track on the EP exudes frustration in every note. “Twenty Two” is fast, aggressive and vocally intense which only reflects in the lyrics. It’s a story of internal crisis. A person conflicted inside, with two voices fighting for control. The story is reminiscent of symptoms from those afflicted with social anxiety, split personalities or even schizophrenia.

“A cleft mentality divides all sanity,
Opposing voices questioning my worth,
A morbid irony is isolating,
If they succeed there’ll be nothing left of me.”

“There’s two of me but the other is not seen,
And I should not believe what he’s telling me,
But how do I tell the difference between,
What is true and what shit he’s conjuring.”

It’s a cry out for help to overcome this battle inside the mind of the afflicted and to find some form of control. It’s written well and suits the fast pace of the band perfectly. The vocals are sometimes messy in this track. But that’s the point, it’s not meant to be perfect. That imperfection and struggle for control reflects the lyrics, which is something that is not often seen in young bands.

The third track on the EP, “Weightless” is another one of my favourite tracks. The melody and ambiance in the song create a beautiful sound. The drums are quiet through a majority of the song, which only assists the lower-dynamic of the track. Fraser Stiles’ lead guitar provides an eerie yet relaxing atmosphere.

After two hard hitting openers, “Weightless” provides an excellent break in the action while still maintaining enough energy and emotion to keep the listener engaged. It’s a progressive song, slowly building over the five minute track to a climax unlike anything else on the EP. The vocals truly steal the show in this song. Luke Taylor’s performance is never more spot on than in the climax of the song, slightly altering the vocal melody to provide nuance while still pushing the message of the lyrics.

"We lose our way, 
We lose our place,
We're all the same, we're all afraid,
Just searching for that something."

"... We lose our way,
We lose our place,
But in the end,
We'll be okay."

To me, “Weightless” is a song about humanity. No matter our background, no matter our upbringing, no matter our environment. We’re all the same. We’re all living in this world together, all simultaneously searching for something to fill our lives and give us a sense of meaning. We’re all afraid that we won’t make it, and we all get lost along the way. But in the end, we’ll be okay. The lyrics hit hard but the message is profound and Heartline communicates it with a truly beautiful song.

The fifth song on the EP, “Covert” was released a few months prior to this EP in June of 2019. “Covert” was the pre-release single to “Essence” and gave us a sneak peek into what was to come. The song is truly metal-core. The riff is fast, the drums are aggressive, the bass is strong and the vocals are violent. It’s full of frustration and anger. And the lyrics only reflect those emotions.

"Skeletons in my closet,
I should set them free,
But they hold the key."

"... Eventually my path will be seen clearly, 
Everything will be the way it should be,
Until then close to my heart I'll keep,
What causes me this grief."

“Covert” is a song about deceit. He’s holding in the truth, living with skeletons in his closet. He knows he should let them out, tell the truth and confess. But that deceit controls him now. He knows that eventually this truth will come to the surface. But until then, he’s keeping his cards very close to his chest – just as all of us would.

The final track on the EP, “Mirror” was a difficult song to review. It mixes a lot of dynamics together in a way that I rarely encounter. It was a difficult beast to wrangle to be sure. But after listening a few more times I was able to piece things together. The song starts with an ambiance similar to, “Weightless”. Lower dynamics driven by relaxing guitar and soft vocals. This moves into the chorus. Easy to follow and melodic. Then the rap section enters. At first I didn’t know what to make of this section. It seems to come out of nowhere and can be hard to digest for a listener like myself that isn’t use to rap vocals in metal music. It was difficult to get use to and was slightly confusing. But with my predilections aside the message of this song is relatively straight forward.

"I saw the shades,
Of blue in your eyes,
Flicker and fade,
Wash out and die."

"This new grey is not dull,
Nor is it transparent,
But they tell a story, 
Desperate, so desperate."

In my eyes, “Mirror” reflects the journey of depression. Specifically, in the eyes of a loved one. It’s a cry for change. A plea for the happiness lost in that certain someone to return.

"So give me something to hold, 
Something that stops them from leaving, 
Show me the shades,
The shades, the shades that I've been missing,
Please give me something that stops them,
From leaving."

As a metal-core fan I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of this EP. Heartline is a young band, with none of it’s members breaching twenty-years-old. But despite the age of both the band and it’s members, Heartline have an excellent way of crafting their songs. From hard-hitting metal-core savagery to beautifully written, lower dynamic tracks, the “Essence” EP has something for every breed of modern headbanger.

With stories of social anxiety, depression and suicide, on the surface “Essence” is an arduous lyrical adventure. However, Heartline have produced their songs perfectly, to both communicate a deep message in their songs and entertain their listeners. The drums are crisp, precise and methodical. The guitars are wide, heavy and provide excellent tone and ambiance. And the vocals take all of it to another level. Heartline has only scratched the surface of their potential with the “Essence” EP. I’m hooked and it doesn’t seem like that’s gonna change any time soon.