Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like there has been an influx of melodic hardcore/metalcore bands popping up in the scene in the past year or two that are great. One of the latest additions to my “melodic hardcore” section in iTunes is Definite, a five-piece band from Woodbine, Maryland. And let me tell you one thing, their stay in my iTunes will be a lengthy one, even if their only release is the Ultimatum EP.
Ultimatum opens with a heavily distorted chord that gets strummed several times and it really gets you pumped right from the start. As soon as the vocals came in on “F5 Of Man”, I started to get even more pumped. The screaming that is delivered by the vocalist sounds like a mix of Gideon and Hundredth and the clean vocals are fairly unique and the kind that sound great when used minimally. Thankfully, the clean vocals are only used on a few tracks and for a short period of time, so they never wear out their welcome.
My personal favourite track, “Handmade Hurricane”, closes out the EP exceptionally well. The riffs and chords used throughout this song are fairly simple but when melody is added into the equation by the other guitarist, it sounds spectacular. That could be said for most songs of this style, but “Handmade Hurricane” is particularly strong instrumentally as well as vocally/lyrically and that’s what makes it stand out the most. The tracks that are sandwiched between “F5 Of Man” and “Handmade Hurricane” are good, however, there isn’t a whole lot to talk about for each track individually. There are a few solid melodies heard on the strongest of the three middle tracks, “To Swim In Quicksand”, and “Forever On The Richter Scale” has an incredible guitar lead after the first breakdown, but the rest of the track is standard for this genre. The drumming and cleans are strong on “Cyclone” and the bass is very audible near the end of the track, but there is very little melody. When it’s all said and done, Definite has supplied their listeners with 16 minutes of melodic hardcore/metalcore that is heavy and catchy. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s a breath of fresh air in this growing genre. 
Links: Facebook – Bandcamp
For Fans Of: Gideon, Hundredth, With Life In Mind
