LIMBS
Sleep
EQUAL VISION
10/10
RESTORATION HEAVY: In the vein of early Underoath, LIMBS may be the defibrillator that brings the spark back to post-hardcore. Sleep is a crushing blow in an increasingly cookie cutter genre, implementing all the fan favorite elements such as passionate sing/scream duality coupled with solid musicianship and aggressive but empowering lyrics. “Poison” opens the record with its most memorable scream along moments, as, “I will not bend I will not break…if this is what you want then you’ve got a war,” harkens back to Breaking Benjamin and heavier early 00s fare. However, LIMBS is forging its own unique path, with blazing climaxes and pristine breakdowns. Under the wings of Beau Burchell (Saosin) and Tim McTague (Underoath), Sleep feels polished and repurposed from its original raw three song form. “Rat” and “Eyes” boast the heaviest characteristics of the EP, lamenting stories of betrayal and disillusionment with humanity, that is until the needle moves to “Ruin,” and with face melting guitar work, it brings the record to its peak headbanging level. The title track is pure chaos, exploring a progressive and vast array of technicality, and each song has monumental, anthemic lyrical moments. In a landscape of lackluster imitators and unoriginality, LIMBS delivers a landmark EP. ~ Jameson Ketchum
