Heart Of A Coward Declares That This Place Only Brings Death

By Phil Hawkins

The fact that everything ultimately comes to an end is inevitable, which can be a rather sobering reality. With the release of their latest album, This Place Only Brings Death, British heavyweights Heart Of A Coward stares forward facing in to that inevitability. “This Place Only Brings Death is a self-reflective, heavy, and aggressive album that explores the harsh realities of modern society,” says vocalist Kaan Tasan.

Heart of a Coward’s newest album takes a bold, accessible turn, drawing heavily from metalcore influences as opposed to their previous leanings towards the progressive. It is this very shift in their musical approach that gives This Place Only Brings Death a slightly more raw final product than their prior efforts as the tonal shift mixed with the harsh realities gives the album a poignant sense of urgency.

Opening with “This Place Only Brings Death” the tone of the album as a whole is set early in. Vocalist Kaan Tasan’s aggressive vocals add a nice layered texture to the mix and quickly shows that the band is fully embracing a more metalcore approach than on prior efforts. “Captor” follows and keeps the album moving forward while continuing to embrace a more aggressive aesthetic. “Surrender To Failure” presses onward with driving drums and soaring guitars while adding some cleaner vocals to the mix that makes the track perhaps a bit more accessible to the average listener.

“Devour Me” continues to build upon the musical elements introduced thus far and keep the album moving in a forward motion without allowing it to become redundant. “Decay” follows and carries a mildly different aesthetic as there are some ethereal background vocals early in that gives the track a little more atmosphere than the rest of the album. “Ghost” shifts things back to a much faster pace as the drums and guitars create a bit of an audibly visceral onslaught. “HEX” rounds out the middle segment of the album with the addition of some more electronic elements amidst the musical layering that has become commonplace on the album.

“Passenger” begins the descension to the album’s finale and wastes no time reminding the listener that they are not pulling any punches as the track feels like a continuous onslaught of sorts. “Dehumanise” feels raw and visceral in the vocal approach which only adds to the depth of musical elements of the track. There is a unique ebb and flow that isn’t near as prominent on the rest of the album that allows the track to truly shine. “All Life Is Finite” closes out the album, but not in the way you would generally expect given the poignancy of the track’s title (which is a play on the album’s title and opening track) and gives a solid conclusion to the album as whole.

In conclusion, This Place Only Brings Death is a solidly written and composed album that leans in to the more metalcore shift the band took on the album. It shows their ability to diversify while still managing to stay grounded in their more progressive roots which only expands on their collective musical abilities.

This Place Only Brings Death is out now via Arising Empire and available on all major streaming and digital platforms. In addition, you can order physical copies via various online retailers.

If you are in Europe you can catch Herat Of A Coward on the This Place Only Brings Death tour through late October. For dates and additional info click here.