Photo by Max Holsbeke

“A story of betrayal, heartbreak, revenge, and forgiveness.” So far, BALMORA have been building toward this long game by harnessing big, physical theater within their sound in some shape or form leading into their much anticipated debut album, These Graven Halls. Safe from HAYWIRE, their New England neighbors come in a close second as a band who has been on absolute tear on the road over the past year in playing all over the map, headlining their own DIY shows as well as opening for a diverse cross-section within the heavy music world ranging from Fleshwater and Chat Pile, currently being on tour with Converge and Poison the Well, and later this summer, joining up with Hatebreed.

Unlike HAYWIRE, however, who seem to have the next wave of hardcore-punk cornered, the Connecticut quintet are heirs to a dramatic, theatrical form of metalcore art which they gave us an early glimpse into last year with their listmaking EP, Prologue. In the time since, the band have swapped out vocalist (and Ephyra label head) Senti for Paul Cole of the Ephyra-linked band Since My Beloved under vague circumstances, and with the album’s lead single and “Ophelia”, we’re hearing a different side of their story writing their next chapter.

Joined by Brie Percy of their fellow buzzworthy scene makers, Holder, the listen is a frenetic, multi-act barrage of heaviness, covering wide stylistic ground across its four minutes, from its sludgy, metallic breakdowns, axe-grinding onslaughts, and flickering spoken word sections that soften the airs with post-rock peacefulness. “No being shall remember how we ceased to be
an apology everlasting / I’ll retrieve your heart from the bottom of the sea.” Alas, BALMORA are poets beneath that heavy armor. Brutally at that.

BALMORA’s These Graven Halls will be released May 29th on DAZE.