It’s fair to say that Windwaker have become one of the most exciting and beloved heavy exports of late. The Melbourne metalcore favourites have today unveiled their highly anticipated album HYPERVIOLENCE via Cooking Vinyl Australia and Fearless Records.
Featuring the singles “SIRENS”, “Fractured State of Mind” and “The Wall”, the 13-track project is the band’s first full-length with new vocalist and original member Liam Guinane. The new record is an innovative collection of powerful alt-metal with glossy pop and hip hop stylings, further expanding on the genre fusions that Windy have become known for. Blistering riffs and intricate drums are bolstered by glitchy synths and modern programming as dexterous cleans weave between fierce growls.
HYPERVIOLENCE explores themes of identity and social awareness, finding a correlation between confidence and fear in online behaviour. The playful yet reflective lyrics share the experiences of two opposing personalities within the one mind. While one more developed character seeks love and compassion, the other aims to gain advantage at the expense of self-destruction. Even though they both hate each other, they need both personalities to thrive in a digital world.
Melodic opener “Infinity” sets the tone of the album, with dense electronics and a thudding rhythm section that evolves into a frenetic passage of chunky riffs and searing screams before resolving to a catchy chorus in halftime. First taste “SIRENS” showcases Guinane’s impressive vocal range early on and plunges into brutal breakdowns between chopped samples and dusty beats. “Fractured State of Mind” keeps the energy up with busy guitars and huge drums, shifting seamlessly between swaying singalongs and aggressive bursts.
The frantic sampling and tight flows that introduce “Break the Rules” are almost as abrasive as the fiery second verse, although the infectious hook is enough to keep you coming back (anyone else still humming it?). One of the heavier cuts, “The Wall” is a relentless thrasher for the pit with layered percussion that is as fascinating as it is fun. “Villain” lets the spacious production and arresting vocals breathe in a controlled performance that doesn’t leave without a solid mosh. We’re only six songs deep and each one has felt like it could be a single.
At the midway point, upbeat banger “Get Out” showcases some deft drumming and catchy flows before blending into the silky warm “Haunting Me”, with brooding keys and washed-out synths. A standout on the record, “Vertigo” is fully realised and polished yet isn’t afraid to be dirty when it serves the song (if that makes sense). Imagine a Twenty One Pilots track with less falsetto and more distortion and you get “Hypnotised”. It sees Guinane spit some bars in double time and the rhyme schemes are strangely satisfying, particularly in the breakdown.
This segues nicely into “Venom”, which has strong Love Language vibes until the cruisy bridge and contrasting hard outro close the longest track on the album. “Tabula Rasa” touches on some profound subject matter for its flippant delivery, with dark synths and subtle programming reinforcing the rapped flows and scattered screams. After a range of diverse high-energy tracks, gentle closer “Juliet” briefly wraps things up with a heartfelt ballad of ethereal harmonies and the repeated line ‘None of it matters at all’.
With HYPERVIOLENCE, Windwaker have evolved their sound beyond what many artists take an entire career to achieve. From the brutal thrashings of “Fractured State of Mind” and “The Wall” to the tender moments of “Haunting Me” and “Juliet”, they have showcased each of their strengths in every song through a variety of styles. It will be hard to top this incredible effort moving forward, but if anyone can push the boundaries of metalcore, it’s them.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
HYPERVIOLENCE is out now. Catch the songs live in support of Northlane on their Mirrors Edge North America tour.
