Early Graves is a band to arise out of the ashes of a tech-metal band Apiary. At some point, Apiary’s last lineup realized that they were not the same band that started under the name of Apiary, both literally and figuratively. Line up changes and a disenfranchisement with a sound they did not feel they owned, created an imperative to grow a new identity. This was the catalyst for Early Graves, a band built on a punk-metal hybrid sound. Like bands such as His Hero is Gone, Tragedy, Coliseum, and Victims, Early Graves forges their sound out of grit and stone of crust, hardcore punk, thrash, and early death metal.

The bare-knuckle production quality is going to be the first impression left on anyone who gives Goner a spin. This album is obviously meant to be a rebuttal to the pristine pro-tool’ed production standards that much of modern heavy music holds to, which basically means this a noisy, rumbling, feedback scarred, hissing, analog machine that some will appreciate, while others flee with horror.

For whatever reason, the later half of Goner seems stronger than the first five or so tracks. One of the stronger tracks, “Mayday”, features some of the most clear examples of death metal influence before breaking into a down-tempo slogging march lead by the bass. This transitions nicely into “Wraiths” which starts as a lone guitar grooved riff that is built on throughout the rest of the song. Piercing feedback mimicking a wraith’s scream punctuates the building intensity. “Mayday” and “Wraiths” are strong tracks as they succeed in building tension and creating an accessible and memorable point of reference for a listener to follow. Much of the album is a full throttle noisy experience and the memorable moments get lost in the chaotic assault. I suspect that the drums are actually a significant leading factor. The drums are VERY noisy, and often what the drummer is playing sounds more like frantic improv than purposeful, deliberate playing. The teeth-grinding grit of the production contributes to percussive cacophony, but it’s difficult to discern if resulting chaos was part of a conscious decision or a by-product of a lack of creative focus/discipline.

All the elements are here: dirty, thrashing guitar, howling gruff vocals, rumbling distorted bass, even a wailing solo or two. All these elements are shared by some of my personal favorite bands such as Coliseum, Tragedy and Cursed. So all of this would seem very promising. However, by the end of this album it became clear to me Goner fails to replicate the same distinct impression or memorable listening experience that the aforementioned bands create for me. Maybe Early Graves is still in the process of finding themselves; emerging from an artistic existential crisis of sorts, into their own persona. Despite the adrenaline pumping intensity and teeth bearing aggression, the album fails to put a unique spin on a nostalgic sound. I think it’s very hard for a band to really perfect the execution of such a nebulous grind/metal/punk/hardcore sound. It requires delicate balance of aggression without inhibition and creative poise.

Early Graves is a band I venture to say is still in the process of finding their voice in the midst of rebuilding their identity as a band. Conceptually, much of the album is sound and speaks for itself, as there are notable moments and high points throughout the album. Execution of these concepts is still lacking as much of the album sounds repetitive and flat. While this album won’t break into my ‘Most Played’ playlist, it might be enough to make me curious about seeing them live and interested in their future releases.

3.0/5