The Esoteric

Subverter (Prosthetic)
by Hansel Merchor

Like many screamo bands breaking out of genre, The Esoteric has regressed to the times when chord progressions were a mathematical impossibility and the concept of a breakdown hadn’t been coined yet. The new Esoteric sound is somewhat derivative, mostly because every other heavy band struggles to achieve a sound as beefy as the one found on Subverter. And heavy this is, formed by simple and circular riffs and based around solid slabs of eloquent and raspy vocalization. The band has ended up with a nice blend of grooves and pummeling rhythms, but that’s about it. The problem is Subverter follows a premeditated pattern; “Destroy, She Said” is based on a riff that sounds like it belongs to Placebo, except The Esoteric have tuned down their instruments and have exchanged pop arrangements for metal bluntness. Tracks like “Shipyards of Foreign Cities” possesses certain modern elements, like the opening riffage with its widening guitar sounds, paced drums and extended clean yet rough vocals embody exactly what the band is: A metal unit looking to opening its sonic horizons. Subverter is good, it’s just curious how this stylistic departure has simplicity at the core of its mission; the exact opposite of what their sound represented.
(www.prostheticrecords.com)