Structures - All of the Above EP (2010)

I know a lot of you out there aren't gonna download an album from a band you've never heard of just cause I told you to, so check out Track 2: 'Transitions' and see for yourself why you should never doubt anything I say ever again.


Usually when I download new music I do it in bulk. Once an album finishes downloading I listen to a song or two off it while I continue my search for more to download, not paying it all that much mind, just enough to get the gist of it and see what it's all about. When All of the Above Finished downloading I loaded it to iTunes, started the first song, minimized iTunes, and went back to Last.fm to search for more music. 2 minutes later my internet browser was closed and I was intently listening to every note on the record. With one song I was so impressed with this EP I had to stop everything I was doing so I could give this album my undivided attention, and as soon as it was finished I was so pumped about it I had to immediately begin writing a review for it…so here it is:

Structures is a Progressive Metalcore/Deathcore band the likes of which I've never seen. Before I start, let me say that usually I can't get into Deathcore at all, in my opinion the whole genre feels shallow and insincere. First off, I don't see how anyone could be expected to take these bands seriously with names like 'Decrepit Birth' or 'Carnifex'. It's like they purposely choose names that make people think 'these guys are scary' so they can feel cool/tough when in reality they're just a bunch of bitchasses. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Deathcore seems to be more about 'intimidation' than it is about anything else, I guess to people who listen to heavy music because they want to be feel tough or 'hardcore' than it suits them perfectly, but that's not why I listen to heavy music…at all. With that being said, lets continue with the review….

As far as the Deathcore aspect of their music is concerned Structures has all their bases covered; there's downtuned guitars with plenty of dissonance, chugging riffs with breakdowns to match, and bass drops so big they make your entire body shake. Without a doubt these guys are as 'brutal' as any other Deathcore band out there, but unlike so many other bands, Structures understands that there's more to making good music than just breakdowns and dissonance. Whether it be airy guitar melodies akin to Misery Signals, super-fast upbeat Math Rock riffs ala Tera Melos, even taking cues from bands like Emarosa or Broadway, All of the Above is constantly incorporating concepts from a huge range of influences to give each song its own personality and adds a much needed layer of depth to the Deathcore formula. And while that formula may be at the core (no pun intended) of each song, it's the addition of all these different influences that will have you coming back to this EP over and over again. Structures is definitely a name to look out for, if they can expand on what they've done here on their next release they'll become a colossal force.

DOWNLOAD IT FOO'!!!