REFLECTIONS
Armed with a handful of demo tracks and an EP release expected in Spring 2012, Reflections are a band that refuse to comment on their genre, and rightly so. Included in this deathcore series because they incorporate elements of the musical style (breakdowns included), they are harnessing a sound that, although fitting into the djent bracket too, is not constrained by the sum of its parts. This is promiscuous music that fucks precision into groove into brutality; wielding an A-HA track and a Katy Perry cover in their backcatalogue also shows how willing Reflections are to take conventionality up the chuffer.
However, where this five-piece are strongest is during music of their own creation. So far I’ve managed to eke out of the band the locations of 3 full-length tracks (I’ll link where possible), which, even as demoes, demonstrate the potential of this furious young troupe. Reflections have a sound that is pitched right on the edge of sanity; there is so much technical prowess here, especially during the spidery guitar-work that is so elaborate and dissonant. An Artifact refuses to clamp down, with its spindly solo opener and frenzied underlying chug that soon breaks down into the verse, whilst Advance Upon Me Brethren kicks into a bouncy groove, and then smashes you at freight train speed during the chorus. For all of the shitmunchers who wait with baited breath for the breakdown, there are those too, but framed by some really well executed music that doesn’t just leave you begging for the bass drop.
Reflections earn their stripes, though, not just because their musical skills are far beyond proficiency, but as willing participants in esotericism; this is exploratory music that takes cues from several areas of metal. It’s thought-out, provocative and technical whilst also being explosive and evocative and absent of any pretension. What’s more, they don’t participate in the race to be faster and heavier than everyone else (which gives deathcore its generic ooze), but instead are a far more convincing offering with progressive and groove elements thrown into the mix.
The next test for Reflections will be releasing a record that gives credit to their talent in being a cohesive and dangerous force. So far they’ve proved innovation in a genre that has already been condemned to the grave by some critics, and are pushing the boundaries in all sorts of degenerate ways. Reflections will find their strengths (and their admirers) by remaining as willing outcasts.