Find
your moshing shoes, boys and girls. "So Shall It Be" has
got to be one of the most punishing, gloomy, and brutally heavy records
to ever grace my stereo. Only eccentuating the downtuned, gritty heaviness
is a rich, but not overproduced recording quality, and some really
grim lyrics. "So Shall It Be" is, by no means, intended
for the light hearted crowd, but is well-suited for one of those days
when nothing is going right.
How It Ends' musical formula is nothing out of the ordinary; the guitars
are chunky, heavily distorted, and sound like they're downtuned to
drop Q, the drum parts are mid-paced, driving, and packed with pummeling
double bass kicks, and the thunderous bass parts create a solid backbone.
The vocals, too, don't offer anything incredibly original, but are
solid and fitting, nonetheless. Not straying far from mid-ranged growls
and screams, vocalist Ross spits forth plenty of harsh accusations
and stories of personal struggle. The lyrics are simplistic, but one
doesn't experience emotions so raw and gloomy as they are on "So
Shall It Be" too often. "Savior" is one of the more
striking tracks, lyrically and musically, thanks to a more uplifting
tone and lines like "Forget everything you know, it's all just
blasphemy. No faith, no purpose. We must rise above, one chance for
a normal existence. It's time to take back our lives." Considering
the music's relatively straightforward mosh-metal style, though, the
songs are made surprisingly effective thanks to the raw recording
quality and relentless heaviness.
One might think of bands like Hatebreed when experiencing How It Ends,
but the main differences lie in the lyrics, which are much more forbidding
on "So Shall It Be," and the fact that How It Ends isn't
nearly as breakdown or hardcore oriented. Without a doubt, though,
How It Ends rocks really, really hard, and "So Shall It Be"
will satisfy anyone with some pent up rage and the desire to do some
dancing. Turn it on, and make sure to turn it up.
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