The gap between Stage Four and Lament, at four years (with a re-recording of their debut album as a hold-me-over), was probably for the best; some separation from what came before works to Lament's benefit and, as such, there's a distance between the heightened emotions and the present, where that supreme sense of loss is still felt but isn't the entire story. Now, it's back to the business of furthering hardcore in a way that few bands have been able to.
The emotive tendencies that became mandatory to tell Stage Four's story return here, alongside perhaps the band's most assured and confident songwriting; this is heavy and fast in places, to be sure, but it also doesn't shy away from a melody. Lead single Limelight is an unapologetically melodic moment that soars (Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull handles the song's outro), while A Broadcast tracks closer to Pink Floyd than it does Black Flag, at least until the drums kick in.
Though it can't possibly carry the same emotional weight as what came before, Lament is just as raw and cathartic; it's the product of a band that's been forever changed by grief (and a record about said grief) but is learning to move forward. This isn't a record that offers answers, but it does offer solidarity to anyone whose grief follows them.
October 9, 2020 • Epitaph
Highlights Lament • Reminders • Limelight
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