_{Review by Kayla Hamilton}

One band that has been setting Aussie deathcore connoisseurs tongues wagging is the young lads from Roronoah. With impressive live shows and a couple of outstanding releases, it’s needless to say their debut EP Accustomed To Hurt has been much anticipated.

So I had to give it a spin.

The chains dragging in the introduction and the quick descension into groove-laden riffs, already you can tell there is something special about this EP. ‘You Love It Master’, the first track wastes no time in building a soundscape of sonic bedlam. Snarling vocals, it keeps it heavy without compromising on melody. It isn’t long till the first breakdown kicks in. The speed of the drums transitions into a machine gun like precision. The inclusion of the hymn-like vocals adds just another layer of world building. A true intersection of death metal and hardcore. A bleugh with a running guitar solo. The real kicker of this one? That last breakdown. It’s small in duration but monstrous in sound, bleeding wonderfully into the ‘Hush’.

‘Hush’ was the first taste we got from this EP and so far, it hasn’t got old. Again, there is a real obvious nod in both directions of death metal and hardcore. The vocals in this one go from the sound of a demon to the yells of a man with a desperation in his heart. I feel this one will appeal to more straight up deathcore afficiendo’s. It’s brutal, it’s nasty and of course, it has some of the most face-scrunching bleurghs I’ve ever heard. 

‘A Vice Like No Other’ was my first dance with this band and straight away the speed is what drew me in. The way it switches though and the creepy piano behind the chorus type sections. Again, I have to mention the guitars. From the solos to the riffs, there is just a finesse to their playing that you cannot ignore. That is just one facet of this song’s construction. There are so many layers to this sound and no matter how many times I listen to it, I find something new to fixate on every time.

Just when I thought I heard it all, ‘Tyrant Theory’ came to close the show. I saw a post online earlier saying “I love when my music sounds evil” and that’s the sentiment that washed over me listening to the final number. The little guitar squeals scratch my brain in the best way and like ‘You Love It Master’ there is just so much groove driving this track. The final hurrah, the emotional outcry between the repetition of the song title hits you on a cellular level, leaving you a little blown away over what you just listened too.

Accustomed To Hurt is definitely one of those releases you need to listen to many times to fully comprehend the intricacies and the mastery behind it. On first listen, it does hit hard and satisfies that conventional deathcore sound. Underneath though, it is so layered and thought out. There is a sense of wanting more and an anticipation as a listener knowing in the future they can take this to another level. This feels like just the beginning for Roronoah.

8/10

_{For more from RORONOAH, check out our interview with the band below.}

NOISE ‘N’ VISUALS promotes predominately independent or smaller label signed acts. So if you want to support the growing Asia Pacific heavy music scene, please check out the band’s links here.