With two EPs already behind them, post-hardcore quintet Acres have been refining their sound for the best part of five years. Latest development, ‘In Sickness & Health’, signals a new generation of Acres and, with the help of two new members, this latest EP builds on everything the band have done in past, with a fresh new perspective that delivers both the heaviest and most ambient songs they’ve released to date.
The records gets off to a laboured start with ‘Overseer’, which has an oddly lethargic tempo for an opening track. The slow tempo draws out the warm ambience in the opening guitar chords and vocals but, with no change in pace as the track goes on, the EP doesn’t charge out of the traps or hook you in immediately.
‘Miles Apart’ is much brighter and sets a higher standard that the rest of the EP happily maintains. With a more measured pace, the vocal melodies are able to reach the soaring heights set by the uplifting guitars, drawing out the emotion in Ben Lumber’s impressive voice.
‘Gloom’, with its central riff and gang-vocal bridge section, wouldn’t sound out of place on Underoath’s ‘Define the Great Line’, bringing a heavier edge to the midway point of the record. Despite having a heavier tone, the track is no less atmospheric and Acres’ ability to balance these two elements becomes a key theme and a unique selling point of the band’s sound.
The title track is the EP’s crowning glory. The slow build to the most hard-hitting chorus of the record is one of its most beautifully arranged moments, topped only by the ambient, instrumental bridge that carries you along on the crest of an uplifting, emotional wave. Screamed vocals drop you back down to earth to conclude a cleverly arranged, brilliantly executed track that proves Acres are on the path to greatness.
There are some obstacles along that path that Acres will need to avoid to capitalise on the wealth of potential highlighted on ‘In Sickness & Health’; the key one being dynamics. The pace stays at a fairly static pace throughout and, while this doesn’t pose too big a threat over an EP, across a full length album it could quickly become stale and boring without some variation in mood or tempo. From the evidence laid out on ‘In Sickness & Health’ though, there are plenty of reasons to suggest that Acres are set for success and with a full-length already in the works, now is the time to get behind this extremely talented band.
MARK JOHNSON