An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity
An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity gives Nothingface's heavy sound a useful melodic edge. The riffs and drums provide plenty of force, but Matt Holt's voice can move into a smoother delivery without making the music lose its tension. The band are still developing a more individual style, yet the instrumental detail already gives these songs character.
Goldtooth opens with a muffled vocal and an unsettled guitar sound before the heavier riff arrives. The song establishes a dark atmosphere without relying entirely on volume.
Grinning makes the balance between melody and weight more obvious. The guitar rhythms remain forceful, while Holt's cleaner delivery gives the song a more accessible point of interest. Tom Maxwell's parts can move from a more complicated rhythmic shape towards something smoother and easier to follow.
So Few also benefits from the cleaner singing. The change of emphasis helps the record avoid presenting every song through the same harsh attack. The band's melodic side is already an important part of its identity, even when the surrounding arrangements remain firmly rooted in heavy metal.
Sleeper gives the instruments more room to develop. A bass figure leads towards an acoustic melody, with the heavier playing becoming more prominent later. It is an effective example of the band using a change in texture to create a broader song rather than simply alternating loud and quiet sections.
The main weakness is the production. Cymbals can crowd the other instruments, and the vocal occasionally sounds less clear than the performance deserves. Some ideas also remain close to familiar influences, so the band's growing personality does not yet reach every part of the record.
Still, the combination of independent bass movement, changing drum parts and an expressive voice gives the album considerable appeal. Nothingface make the strongest impression when a clear melody or instrumental detail adds another shape to the aggression. The result is an uneven but promising record with several convincing songs.
