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As Everything Unfolds are a band you didn’t know you needed in your life. Hailing from High Wycombe, the quintet make some of the freshest sounding music in the UK metal scene, defying the normal and expected tendencies of post-hardcore and mixing together a more unique concoction to call their own. Since their 2021 debut, they have played the likes of Download Festival and Graspop, as well as tour with Enter Shikari and Holding Absence – and as if their schedule wasn’t busy enough, they’ve released their follow-up album, Ultraviolet.
Right off the bat, from the anthemic title track, you get a taste of what the group have to offer – a healthy mixture of heavy riffs, atmospheric synths, and incredible vocals/screams from vocalist Charlie Rolfe. It captivated me as soon as I pressed play, proving that it’s strong enough to pull the listener in close, refusing to let them go until the song is over. Despite the heaviness, the band does have their lighter moments, much like on Saint Or Rogue, where the song begins with guitarist Adam Kerr playing a funky little riff that I can only compare to the likes of Automatic-era Don Broco. It’s a fun-sounding bouncy song that will no doubt go down with crowds well when this gets played.
I remember my reaction when I first heard Slow Down was one of shock and awe – I had to replay the track again just to experience the thrill of it all one more time. It’s easily, in my opinion, my favourite track on the record – it has Charlie’s best vocal delivery, especially on the chorus. And come on. That breakdown. It had no right to be that insanely good, with the hook “as I lay it out, will you shoot me down?/heavy is the head that wears the crown” acting as a suspenseful build-up to its drop. Flip Side is another track that blew my mind upon first listen – while it’s arguably the heaviest song on the record, it also had the best intro. As a glitchy synth rises in volume, it gets cut out with just the whispered words “flip side” before it kicks in properly. Truthfully, the only negative thing I have to say about the track is that it ends too quickly!
The final track All I’ve Ever Known is the perfect outro to the experience that the listener has had – it’s an infectious pop rock-infused song that is dynamically arena-ready as well as lyrically powerful both at the same time. When all is said and done and the track fades out into silence, you’re simply left wanting more. It’s SO refreshing to hear a British band take on this sound and do it to the level of excellence that many international bands have done in the past, and on their 2nd album no less!!
Ultraviolet is everything you want in a post-hardcore album. It has times when it’s gnarly as fuck and full to the brim with heavy riffs, breakdowns, and vocals, but it also has times when it calms you down with ethereal synths and reverberated guitars. It’s a fantastic follow-up to their debut Within Each Lies the Other, and one that proves that the group are ever-evolving. And it’s also worth noting that now is the perfect time for everyone to check out As Everything Unfolds because you’d be able to say that you were there before they blew up, as their breakthrough should be imminent pretty much any day now.
Ultraviolet is available Friday April 21st via Long Branch Records.
Review – Joe Richardson
Full UK dates:
Apr 30: Corby Mayday Mayhem, UK
Jul 08: Cheltenham 2000trees Festival, UK
Sep 09: Torquay Burn It Down Festival, UK
Sep 12: Manchester Academy 3 UK (Headline Show)
Sep 13: London O2 Islington Academy UK (Headline Show)
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