After releasing one of my favourite hardcore/punk EPs of 2011 (Chronicles) and an impressive split with Australia’s Perspectives in the summer of 2012, White Fields is already back with more material; a 20-minute EP entitled Miles From Home. Miles From Home is set to release through Final Exit Records on December 15th.
Just a few seconds into the first track on Miles From Home titled “Grave For Fireflies”, it seems like White Fields opted to infuse more metalcore influences into this EP. Before you get all worked up, it sounds great, it’s not a major change, and they pulled it off anyway. The next track, “Grey Morning Lights”, opens with a massive build-up, but when it transitions into the first verse, you’re probably going to be left with a bit of an empty feeling. I was expecting the upbeat tempo to maintain, instead, it died down and never really picked up again until the second half of the song. The second half of the song is very strong because the riffs, chords, and melodies are huge and the vocals come off as more desperate; an excellent asset for melodic hardcore bands.
“Autumn” is a well-placed instrumental that doesn’t do much to impress, however, it sets up the previously released “Rust” well. If you’ve been following this German five-piece, you probably heard “Rust” on the split that they released with Perspectives earlier on in the year. If not, you can expect to hear some good melodies and lyrics – especially in the latter part of the song. Next up is “Midas Touch”, a track that takes a long time to get going. The first half of the track is fairly bland and repetitive, while the second half is one of the strongest parts of the EP. It’s a shame that it takes so long to get going. Moreover, after finally picking up, “Chapter Mine” breaks the flow of the EP. “Chapter Mine” is actually a much stronger instrumental than “Autumn”, but it doesn’t slot into its spot on Miles From Home as well. Parts of “Midas Touch” and “Deepest Blue” as a whole are the most aggressive and fast-paced on the EP and they shouldn’t be split up by a peaceful interlude.
Moving onto the final track, the aforementioned “Deepest Blue” is definitely the strongest track on the EP. White Fields utilizes everything in their arsenal ranging from dark lyrics to contrasting melodic leads and riffs, and they couldn’t have picked a better way to end Miles From Home. “Deepest Blue” leaves me on the edge of my seat wanting more, whether it be hitting the replay button or eagerly awaiting more material from the band.
In the end, White Fields falls a bit short of my expectations for Miles From Home. With two instrumentals and a few tracks easing in, nearly a third of the EP is without vocals. Another reason (which is kind of connected) is that the second instrumental slowed down the tempo drastically instead of keeping an upbeat pace. Finally, “Deepest Blue”, “Grave For Fireflies”, and “Midas Touch” are probably the best songs released by the band, but the rest of the EP is either without vocals or is nothing new to the band’s sound. These flaws aside, White Fields has added to their catalogue with another impressive release that will certainly get them more fans.
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