Skeletons
Skeletons gives Nothingface more room to move between their extremes. The heavy sections remain forceful, but the arrangements make greater use of quieter singing, changes in rhythm and less predictable transitions. Matt Holt can sound harsh or unexpectedly delicate, and the band use that range to give the songs more than one clear character.
Machination establishes the restless approach. A sudden instrumental attack gives way to a quieter vocal passage, with the guitar moving between tighter muted figures and a more broken, aggressive shape. The changes can feel abrupt, but they also give the opening a useful sense of tension.
In Avernus and Ether make another convincing case for the softer side. Their melodic sections sit naturally alongside the heavier playing, allowing Holt's cleaner delivery to contribute to the songs rather than simply reducing their intensity. The band retain their weight while finding more space within the arrangements.
Incarnadine offers a different kind of contrast through an acoustic passage in its later section. Patricide, meanwhile, gives the drums a more noticeable marching character. These details show how small changes in instrumental texture can make the broader guitar attack more interesting.
I Am Him takes a more accessible, mid-paced route, while I Wish I Was A Communist pushes towards a more aggressive performance. All Cut Up brings a more tangled guitar figure into the closing stretch. The album is willing to shift its emphasis instead of presenting the same version of heaviness throughout.
That variety is also where Skeletons can become less immediate. Some transitions are restless enough to interrupt a song's momentum, and the combination of familiar metal grooves and more adventurous changes does not always feel completely settled. The ambition is more consistent than the clarity of every arrangement.
Even so, the instrumental detail and Holt's vocal range give the record a strong identity. Skeletons is at its best when a change in texture brings another side of a song into focus. It is an engaging development of Nothingface's melodic and heavier strengths.
