Destroy Fear – The Mountain Before Us All Album Review by Mark Jenkins. A Foundation Built on Strength-Metalcore riff brilliance.

-

Destroy Fear – The Mountain Before Us All Album Review



Australian metalcore outfit Destroy Fear just dropped their debut offering, The Mountain Before Us All, a powerful statement that positions them firmly alongside the country's celebrated melodic metalcore scene. Following in the footsteps of Australian heavyweights like Parkway Drive and Northlane, Destroy Fear have crafted an album that balances crushing heaviness with soaring melodies to deliver one of the most compelling metalcore releases to emerge from Down Under.




A Foundation Built on Strength

From the opening track Ulterior Motive, Destroy Fear establishes their intent with a sound that feels both familiar and fresh within the Australian metalcore landscape. The production captures the band's raw energy while maintaining the clarity needed for their intricate guitar work to shine through. Like their Australian contemporaries, the band understands the power of dynamics, knowing when to unleash crushing breakdowns and when to pull back for atmospheric passages that let the emotional weight of their material breathe.


The guitar work throughout the album demonstrates a mature understanding of melodic metalcore's core principles, as brilliantly illustrated by The Serpent and Sever. Riffs churn with the mechanical precision that Australian metalcore is known for, while lead melodies soar above the chaos with genuine emotional resonance. The rhythm section provides an unshakeable foundation, driving the songs forward with the relentless energy that has made Australian metalcore a global force.

Themes of Perseverance and Defiance



Lyrically, The Mountain Before Us All explores themes of struggle, resilience, and the determination to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. The album's narrative arc follows a journey through adversity, with tracks like The Redeemer and Flames of Division showcasing the band's ability to channel personal and collective struggles into anthemic declarations of strength.

The title track serves as the album's emotional centrepiece, building from contemplative beginnings to a cathartic crescendo that embodies the record's central message of endurance. Brimstone delivers some of the album's heaviest moments, while Blue Sky Thinking offers brief respite with its more melodic approach, demonstrating the band's range within the metalcore framework.


Australian Metalcore DNA

What sets Destroy Fear apart is its distinctly Australian approach to the genre. Like Parkway Drive's evolution from underground favourites to arena-filling anthemists, Destroy Fear understands that great metalcore needs both crushing weight and memorable hooks. The album's production captures the expansive sound that Australian bands have become known for – wide, open, and designed to fill large spaces while maintaining the intimate connection between band and listener.

The inclusion of guest Nick Potaris on Yesterday adds another layer to the album's emotional depth, creating one of the record's most vulnerable moments. It's a track that showcases the band's willingness to explore quieter dynamics without losing their core identity.

A Statement of Intent

The Mountain Before Us All positions Destroy Fear as serious contenders within Australia's competitive metalcore scene. The album rewards repeated listening, with each track revealing new layers of complexity and emotional depth. For fans of Parkway Drive, Northlane, and the broader Australian metalcore movement, this record offers everything you'd want from the genre – crushing heaviness, soaring melodies, and the kind of anthemic choruses that demand to be sung along with.


While the band may still be climbing their own metaphorical mountain within the global metalcore landscape, The Mountain Before Us All proves they have the tools and vision necessary to reach those heights. It's an album that honours the rich tradition of Australian metalcore while carving out space for Destroy Fear's own unique voice.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Deadlifts

Standout Tracks:

  • The Redeemer
  • Flames of Division
  • The Mountain Before Us All
  • Yesterday (feat. Nick Potaris)

For Fans Of: Parkway Drive, Northlane, Wage War, August Burns Red

Check it out now on streaming services

GET ANTISOCIAL:



LIVE PICS VIA THE BAND'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES AND CREDITED TO THE UNHOLY WIZARD LORD ROB SATAN


LAST BUT NOT LEAST, SUPPORT THE ARTISTS (AND US) BY SPREADING THE WORD, FOLLOWING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND REPOSTING OUR WORKS...SUPPORT THE UNDERGROUND AND OUR COMMUNITY. THERE ARE NO COMMERCIAL GAINS. 

And: Music is not a commodity, it's a community. Your art should reflect your truth, not what others want to hear. Ian MacKaye.

Comments

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment, but anything racist or sexist goes in the bin, as you should also.

Popular posts from this blog

Amenra interview

-
Image
Amenra moves far beyond boring stereotypical genres because they are both exceptionally original and extremely challenging. And that's exactly how music should be; equally gripping and based on unrelenting emotion. I had the honor to interview Colin H. van Eeckhout and sheer passion and devotion flow through his every response as I had expected. This will only be surpassed by seeing Amenra live as part of their current Australian debut tour. I encourage you to take the time to listen to their gripping and essential albums. Everything from their artwork, videos, and lyrics are works of a true artist and are crafted for effect and no effort is wasted. Enjoy this interview. It's beyond essential reading my friends.  First off, thank you for the great chance to chat to one of not only one of my personal favorite all time bands, but the opportunity to flush out the essence of one of the most creative musical acts in current existence. For my own experience Amen...
Read more

Bastard Squad-Interview with Jason and "Hate City" album review by Mark Jenkins

-
Image
Bastard Squad- Without a doubt one of the most influential punk bands in Australia and for me personally, the band as a teenager that introduced me to local punk and it's community. From their first demo to the current album, they have always steered away from trends and always remained as punk as fuck. Despite endless lineup changes, this band has not only toured overseas but scored support slots for pretty much every big name punk gig in Australia. Lyrically and musically they have always remained progressive, and the current album "Hate City" is a testament to this statement. I was proudly chuffed to interview Jason and also reviewed their current album. I honestly believe Bastard Squad are as pivotal to the Australian punk scene (as well as Vicious Circle, Tutti Parze and Warp Spasm) as Mindsnare is to Aussie Hardcore. Great to see Bastard Squad still kicking and not resting on their laurels, but rather challenging the sociopolitical impact of the mod...
Read more

Choof-Demo EP. FFO: Raging and crazed hardcore/PV/Grind/Fastcore-All the good stuff!!

-
Image
  Choof-Demo EP. FFO: Raging and crazed hardcore/PV/Grind/Fast-core-All the good stuff!! This is a wild debut-they may call it a demo, but this is a serious EP despite going by in a blink of an eye. I am not familiar with the other players in the band, but Jake always does some insane bands that border on pure mayhem and Choof is no exception. Choof is a raging, hectic as hell kinda sludgy but mostly power violence meets fastcore with some definite grind/hardcore stylings. It is tangential and damn psychotic. the mix of styles works so well because the unhinged shit drifts off into almost Mr Bungle greatness and a huge love of metal. The riffs are monstrous, and the drums/bass were epic. Whilst the release is brief, these fuckers cram so much into each track and this shows their pretty amazing songwriting skills. What I love the most about this release, is it really dwells in the realms of obscure 7 inch EP's of deranged powerviolence and real cult hardcore bands that you hear and ...
Read more