The New EP from Cell Games Is Here
A brand new EP release from Cell Games just dropped, and this thing runs the gamut of heavy and hard-hitting rock soundscapes that base themselves around a classic but aggressive nu-metal style while also bringing in elements of classic thrash, bouncing rhythms, deep guitar tones, and a very blistering vocal approach that all come together and pack a hell of a punch.
The EP is dubbed You Have (Not) Heard These Songs Before, and it starts with "Lament Configuration", which introduces itself with a super addictive and catchy guitar riff that comes in with a bit of a phaser style effect before exploding into this almost orchestrated and cinematic metal approach.
Throughout the strike, you can hear synthesized string hits that come in and out, and this adds a bit of depth to it, which I really loved, along with building on that cinematic and almost theatrical kind of aesthetic.
You'll notice quickly that time signatures and stop/go approaches as a big staple for these guys, and it works wonders because they're able to fill that little chunk of space with some great melodies vocally, and interesting, semi-experimental tones.
Those time signatures are all very sharp and precise, giving the record this punchy feel, and it does indeed carry with it a massive amount of edginess and incredible sonic drive throughout the entire thing.
The chorus of this track is an absolute banger, but these guys are great at dropping those. The choruses of most of these songs are huge and super memorable, heavy, and pretty brutal when they want to be.
Growing up in the late '80s, throughout the '90s, and early 2000s, I absolutely loved this style of metal.
One of the reasons is that they combined this sort of speedy lyrical approach with bouncy, jumping rhythms, and all with a very heavy hand in terms of inventive guitar riffs.
These guys follow suit so well that it almost gave me a little bout of nostalgia listening to it.
For me, they make me think of bands like Static-X or Disturbed.
They really hit that aesthetic so well.
One of the things that is most impressive about this record is the drumming, and the second track, "Let's Go To Therapy", is one that displays some of that high impact and fiery technique and approach super well
These guys have incredible tightness. The whole record is just precise, super tight, and very explosive.
They're able to create spacious and vast underbellies to a lot of the songs using synthesizers and let the upfront guitar riffs and vocals really rip.
I love this approach.
During this track, there are some insane parts where sections of the song sound like machine guns going off. Heavy snare hits, super sharpness, trudging but tight palm-muted riffs that follow along, and a very robust tendency.
This track also gives you classic punk rock style crew vocals towards the end, adding a lot of different layers to it and bringing out some of the punk influence.
I definitely love that too because I just wasn't expecting it.
"Filthyweight" is one of my favorite tracks on the record because this one is a little bit more straightforward than some of the others. They deliver a really open and widespread sort of track with more straightforward chord progressions and melodic style vocals, which gives them a different side.
Before you get to this track on the record, they haven't really showcased that element of their songwriting before.
I love this because it just made me think of very radio-friendly style rock songs that would be all over the waves in the early 2000s.
This was an impactful one and had an anthemic feel, which was really cool to hear.
Clearly, this is a record that will keep you on your toes, and it's one that I would definitely listen to all the way through from start to finish because there are not only bangers across this record but also some great surprises that showcase different sides to how they do their thing.
Perhaps the most haunting and edgy track of them all, in my opinion, is the last track, "Relics", which features more of the orchestrated style string sections performed on keys, and it all gives the song a very theatrical style.
I love the way the vocals across this record can go from super heavy and aggressive, sharp and fast, to stretched out and melodic, more emotionally robust, and with a completely different texture.
Listening to the whole album showcases a lot of their different influences.
Each track has an atmosphere of its own, and I would definitely go through this record all in one shot.
It's four tracks in total and is just over 15 minutes in length.
Crank this one loud because it's super worth doing.
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