ERRA is the fifth studio album by the Alabama Metalcore band of the same name. Produced by UNFD, this album is the first project released by the band under their new record label after leaving Sumerian Records in 2020. This album was released in March of last year but flew under my radar until this past month when one of the tracks showed up in my Spotify recommended playlist.

This review will be focusing on the initial release of the album rather than the deluxe edition because I found the original twelve tracks to be more cohesive and higher in quality overall. The deluxe edition added an additional seven songs, so check that out if it interests you.

Out of the dozens of Metalcore bands formed in the 2010s, ERRA has always managed to stand out from the crowd for me. They deliver a great mix of clean and unclean vocals across most of their songs and have great lyrical writing that focuses on storytelling. Every song I hear from ERRA feels like a journey, with constant tempo shifts and timing signatures that help each song feel unique. I’m happy to see that ERRA has continued to excel in these areas with this newest release.

Right out the gate, this album slaps you with the brutally grim song “Snowblood.” The track showcases some great technical riffs from guitarist, Sean Price, and bassist, Conor Hesse. Though the lyrics are somewhat literal and trite, it’s the solid vocal performance from JT Cavey that helps the track stand out. You can feel the frustration in Cavey’s voice as he belts out each lyric which focuses on the struggles associated with mental illness likening the internal battle to being lost within a snowstorm.

The follow-up song “Gungrave” is another standout for me. Jesse Cash delivers one of his better choruses’ on the album, which complements another stellar performance from JT and neck-snapping breakdowns. I enjoy the lyrical message here about gun violence as it complements the bleakness of the opening track nicely.

After “Gungrave” comes the more melodic “Divisionary.” Although this track is a nice palate cleanser from the heaviness of the first two tracks, I wasn’t a big fan of it initially. The lyrical content is somewhat literal, focusing on the relationship between humans and technology. However, after doing a little research I found that this was intentional. Jesse stated on the release of this song that the objective was to create a “campy parallel between our phones and religion.” Nonetheless, I still found this somewhat skippable.

Fortunately, the album only improves from this point forward. “House of Glass” delivers an interesting commentary on political extremism contained within powerful metaphors and imagery. “Shadow Autonomous” delivers Jesse’s best overall vocal performance beneath a solid melody.

Another favorite of mine on this album was “Scorpion Hymn.” This song delivers a striking exploration of violence that is both equal parts haunting and grim. JT delivers appropriately low, animalistic growls and high-pitched wails which perfectly augment the tone.

The closing half of this album takes on a much more melodic style beneath an electronic production and riffs. Jesse takes center stage here delivering some fun sing-a-long choruses in both “Lunar Halo” and “Vanish Canvas”. Additionally, Price has some standout guitar solos. “Eidolon” is another standout track for me here as the entire band gets to shine. The opening has a great bassline and I love the drum sequences as well as the awesome tapping riffs from Price.

My major complaint with this album stems from the somewhat weak closing track “Memory Fiction.” It’s not terrible but is dull overall, with some cheesy vocals from Jesse and somewhat dull instrumentals. It feels out of place in the album and I found the previous track “Remnant” to be a much more powerful closing song.

I came out of this album with mostly positive feelings overall, but this album isn’t for everyone. If you are a hardcore metal fan who prefers unclean vocal consistency, you most likely will hate this album. There are also times when Jesse’s vocals become a little whiny and annoying. However, this didn’t hurt my enjoyment. I also like that each song on this album feels distinct from one another. It is very easy to produce metal music that maintains a constant pounding tempo that results in each song blending into one another.

Finally, I would encourage you not to listen to this album expecting it to revolutionize the Metalcore genre. It has a lot of elements that you will no doubt expect if you have ever listened to a Metalcore record. However, I believe ERRA plays to the strengths of the genre and executes them in a well-produced fashion. It is equal parts heavy and melodic with some great evocative imagery and memorable instrumental sections that will keep you replaying songs over and over. This album is certainly another successful project for the band.

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ERRA

13.98

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Crushing Breakdowns
• Technical Riffs and Instrumentals
• Solid all around production and song writing

Cons

• Jesse's vocals can be grating
• One or two cuttable tracks