A few weeks ago, I received an email from a member of Athena’s Grace requesting a review of their two new singles titled “Cardinals” and “Rat”. Upon getting the aforementioned email, I immediately decided to listen to their new music. Athena’s Grace is a five-piece metalcore/melodic hardcore band that formed about two years ago in Livonia, Michigan, but they seem to have a very good grasp on what they’re doing in their relatively short time of being a band. Both of the new tracks bring the mosh, especially “Rat”. “Rat” also puts off much more of a hardcore/metal vibe with crushing riffs, hard-hitting drums, and immaculate vocals. Near the middle of the track, there’s a guest vocalist that adds another dimension to the song and instantly pumps me up even more. The breakdown that follows is massive and transitions into a nice, melodic outro. Aside from the outro, “Rat” is not very melodic, but it’s still a great song. “Cardinals” is definitely the more melodic of the two, and my personal favourite. After a bouncy intro, the melody comes in at the same time as the vocals. The powerful shout-out of “This world has nothing to offer me anymore” combined with the melody is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the song. The next minute or so of the song is solid, but there’s a lot of chugging. However, it really picks up at the midway point when the melody makes a reappearance and single-handedly makes the second half of the song spectacular. Also, I noticed that the vocalist has a fairly wide range and executes all of his vocals very well on this track.
From this small, nearly eight minute sample, Athena’s Grace has set the bar pretty high for their upcoming release. Whether they choose to pursue a more hardcore-influenced style, a more melodic-influenced style, or continue to vary it up from song to song, I’m confident that they’ll leave a lasting impression on their scene and several others. Their sound is pretty similar to old For The Fallen Dreams, so if you’re a fan of Changes, I would highly recommend checking out Athena’s Grace and keeping close tabs on them.
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