Here we have the debut EP by Auckland-based metalcore trio Chasing Titans who were formed in 2018 and comprise Adrian Govender (guitar, vocals), Sylvester Porizakova (bass, vocals), and Torrance Kam (drums). The name is inspired by the original Greek Titans and reflects the philosophy of never giving up on one’s biggest dreams and striving for greatness. The tracks were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Ben Ruegg of {Channeled} at Quietly Loud Studios as they are fans of what he has been doing with his own material. This is quite removed from his own recordings though, but given Ben is a music teacher he is across all genres which is why this has come out so well.
With two singers following the normal rough/smooth melodic styles, they sound as if they have been paying close attention to {Crooked Royals} with a nice full-bodied attack and the two singers bouncing off each other and coming in before the other finishes the line so we get the feeling of pent-up aggression being released. This certainly never sounds like a debut as these guys are polished, tight and heavy, with some nice nuances in the guitars. It is a very full sound, and it will be interesting to catch them live to see if they can reproduce this in that environment or if we there is multiple layering taking place. There is never any room to hide in a trio, everyone must pull their weight, and that is exactly what is happening with all three musicians locked in, complex drum patterns often following what is being driven by the bass and guitar, while the bass sometimes follows the kick drum and at others is creating room behind the guitar which itself rarely stops and is always moving and driving on while the two singers crunch in over the top.
This has been deliberately produced as a single wall of sound, with very little space in the arrangement, which means that combined with the ferocity and passion this become something which will be appreciated by metalheads who may not normally tend towards this particular genre. There is a lot going on in a restricted timeframe and my main issue is with the total length as the three songs only give us approximately nine minutes of music and I would like to hear more. Debut single Cabin Fever was written during lockdown and explores the feeling of isolation and descent into madness, second single, Vengeance, is about revenge in the context of domestic abuse, while New Depravity, is inspired by the character Ferdinand Lyle from Penny Dreadful.
Overall, this is an interesting debut and I look forward to catching them at a gig in 2023.
8/10 Kev Rowland
