HEREAFTER - Breathe
Pictured: Jack Baker, Matt George, Niall Garrett, Tom Rhodes + Liam Bradford - HEREAFTER
Photo by: Jaydon Colvin
A New Sound to Break the Lockdown
Written by: Jimmy Wah - Sense Music Media
HEREAFTER might just be the goldmine that Australian metal lovers have been looking for. Hailing from Melbourne, the band was started in 2019 by vocalist Niall Garrett and guitarist Matt George, shortly followed by seasoned UK bassist Tom Rhodes. In 2020 they were joined by guitarist Jack Baker (SEARCHING IN SILENCE and BEHOLD THE DEFIANT) and perhaps one of the most surprising Aussie drummers in recent history, Liam Bradford.
Pictured: Matt George, Jack Baker, Tom Rhodes, Liam Bradford + Niall Garrett - HEREAFTER
Photo by: Andrew Bromley
With unashamed modern metal influences such as POLARIS and ARCHITECTS; HEREAFTER can be comfortably slotted into the metalcore genre. While heavy and refined, HEREAFTER look to bring their own new and unique sounds to the modern metalcore landscape. Describing themselves as having bouncy riffs, huge choruses and melancholic ambience, you might be interested in knowing what the music has in store for you. Now’s your chance… but not before I talk a bit about Liam Bradford.
KARNIVOOL - Scarabs - Drum cover by Liam Bradford (2020)
Liam Bradford is a 15 year old drummer who started drumming at 7 years of age. Liam just had his 15th birthday… but when he joined HEREAFTER in 2020 he was just 14 years old! Liam has a wealth of Aussie prog-metal influences. Just to give you an idea of what that means; he has gained nationwide recognition from bands like TWELVE FOOT NINJA, CALIGULA’S HORSE, CIRCLES, VOYAGER, OSAKA PUNCH, COG and KARNIVOOL for his awesome work behind the kit at an early age. He’s even gained international recognition from the likes of TESSERACT in the UK and EARTHSIDE in the US for his mind-bending prog-metal covers on YouTube. As you’d expect, Liam’s very first band is brimming with power and talent. What you might not expect is that his band mates are up to 18 years his senior.
The Review
Breathe is a huge wall of sound loaded with dynamic vocals, big hooks and riff-bombs for days. Produced by Ionei Heckenberg from OCEAN SLEEPER who has formerly produced the likes of MIRRORS and OUTLOVED, Breathe was originally written by guitarist Matt George in 2020.
Pictured: Matt George + Ionei Heckenberg in the studio
Compressed drums and guitars lay an unsettling yet energetic backdrop for the disdainful opening phrase ‘Oh what a miserable fucking year…’ before dropping into a massive, chunky riff reminiscent of the likes of bands like SPIRITBOX and NORTHLANE. After just enough time to adjust to the heavy groove, another gear is shifted and the clean vocals break into a heavy growl that taps into the essence of the emotion behind the track. Guitars drop back to let vocals take on a new texture in the verse, while the drums drive the music forward as the lyrics tell a story we can all relate to.
Space amplifies the drop back into that monster riff for a guttural pre-chorus strengthened with equally monstrous drum fills. The drumming has the ability to emphasise the tight rhythmic composition of the guitars and bass while providing a backbone to the music, giving it some serious groove. An evocative chorus with an emphatic hook using clean vocals is framed by tactfully used rests, before launching back into the verse without taking the foot off the gas. The seamless breakdown transition on the back of the second verse seems to come from nowhere before the song takes on yet another shape with a bridging section that tastefully closes out. Just as the music stops, the chorus drops back in with an added layer of groove before the song fades out once again using that impactful opening phrase.
HEREAFTER - Breathe - Official Music Video (2021)
Director/Producer: Jack McMahon
Cinematographer: Jesse Phillips
Editor: Niall Garrett
VFX Artist: Adrian Chino Castro
Studio: Picture Perfect Studio
The video is simple yet effective. A stripped back white room clarifies the introspection behind the lyrics. Niall Garrett seems to be pouring his mind out to a psychologist with the stark white seeming to represent clinical sterility… or perhaps it’s Niall’s mind. The music lays the background for his emotions, which are personified by the musicians themselves. The purposefully unstable camera work marries nicely with the dynamic transitions indicative of the frustration and torment brought on by a caged mind. The expressive performance by each of the musicians exemplifies the symbolic integration of black water offered by the therapist, which takes on a sick painterly texture pouring out of a spontaneous gunshot wound to the head, going on to pour out of the mouths of the musicians, smear their faces and drip on their heads. The clip really brings home the theme of the lyrics conveying the shattering impact and torturous depression of the year that was 2020.
The Verdict
Breathe puts a solid stamp on the Australian metal landscape for HEREAFTER. It has everything from solid riffs, superb drumming and sharp hooks, to dynamic vocals, impactful composition and excellent production. For the debut single of a band brimming with talent, I’m very excited to see what these guys do next… and can’t imagine where they’re going to end up!
4/5
Pictured: Niall Garrett, Jack Baker, Tom Rhodes, Matt George + Liam Bradford - HEREAFTER
Photo by: Andrew Bromley
Breathe will debut through Dreambound on Friday 6 August 2021