Precious – “Unravelings” [Album Review]

At first the opening strains of Precious’ new EP Unravelings sounds like it might be some sort of post-grunge/alt-rawk hybrid, but the moment passes and the EP travels in a much more straightforward metalcore direction for the rest of the release.

By the opening of their second track “Swandive”, the album travels in a much more Hyrdahead Records-in-its-hayday direction, mostly making good on heavy and atmospheric riffs in turn. The whole EP is a salvo for the members of other bands like Snapcase and Unbroken, signaling an approach into more straightforward metalcore waters. The result is inoffensive and an otherwise tight delivering for the genre, with just enough change-ups in their approach to keep the EP moving along at a good pace.

The only gripe I could bring to the table is it’s far from captivating material. It’s fairly formulaic in its delivery and parts, and there’s nothing heavy or gripping enough that separates it from the rest of the material it swims alongside.

There are some intense moments, like lead singer Dustin Perry’s performance in the last 30 seconds of “R.T.B.”, and some stirring ones as well, such as the opening strains of “Arrivals”, an excellent example of how well the band can write parts that compliment each other. There isn’t anything that is utterly crushing or innovative about this release, though I have to say the vocals and musical production do make up for that.

Unravelings Track Listing:

01. Head Down
02. Swandive
03. R.T.B.
04. Arrivals
05. Unraveling

Run Time: 18:39
Release Date: August 5, 2016

Check out the song “Head Down”