Bridges Ablaze - Hellbent - Song Review - Modern Alternative Metalcore from Austin, Texas, USA
Today, we delve into the captivating world of a new hot prospect, Bridges Ablaze, hailing from Austin, Texas, USA. In this article, I analyzed one of their latest hit songs, "Hellbent," which was released on January 13, 2023.
Bridges Ablaze - Hellbent (Official Music Video)
Production/Mixing/Mastering - Robby Joyner of Blackbook SoundVideography - Nevermore VisualsLocation - Trailr Park Studios (Buda, TX)Guitar Company/Luthier - Wolfcreek Guitars/Miles Manglos
In the midst of the most unforgiving and unpredictable period of my life, I find myself on another partly cloudy yet sunny day in the Swiss Alps of Lucerne, writing a review of "Hellbent." This song is by Bridges Ablaze, the project of a talented duo from Austin, Texas: Brien Allen and Ruben Zamora. While I see room for improvement in their work, I count myself as a supporter of these young gentlemen in their challenging journey, having been introduced to their music a few months ago.
First and foremost, "Hellbent" stands out and deserves appreciation for its world-class production with similar standards to high-end productions of genre-leading bands we know from mainstream metalcore. Although I am not a producer nor a sound engineer myself, I perceive it as a production-quality-based work with massive commercial potential. The precision in the sound design is a testament to the collective's main strengths, which I can also confirm by the current success of the song on digital platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. The sound character has modern and mainstream characteristics in its foundation while providing the necessary strength and room for metal instrumentation. In summary, the djent/metalcore instrumentation of two talented guitarists is complemented by cinematic music production, turning the song into a well-produced modern metal character. From a commercial perspective, it is professionally planned, masterfully executed, and a perfect fit for today's mainstream metal.
Secondly, the musical origins of the song blend familiar influences from commercial, alternative, modern metalcore, and djent metal. This immediately brings to mind bands like Linkin Park, 30 Seconds To Mars, and Architects. Among the mainstream qualities of all these direct influences, you can hear masterfully crafted duo vocals by Brien Allen and Ruben Zamora, incorporating melodic and rap elements reminiscent of Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. Furthermore, the band capitalizes on the stylish and classy approach of 30 Seconds To Mars and the well-produced post-modern melodic metalcore understanding of Architects. The decisive moment for me was hearing the guitar solo section at the end of the song, proving that Bridges Ablaze isn't just like other bands that only make music in front of a computer.
L to R: Brien Allen and Ruben ZamoraPhoto credit: Unknown
Despite the many qualities of the project to be appreciated and recognized, I must point out a few things from my subjective perspective. As I mentioned earlier about the sound production standards, the song borders on the edge of becoming an electronic song produced by a DJ, excluding the guitar solos. The band may now have to endure the reputation of making "production-based" music rather than "performance-based," which could potentially face disapproval from people who value artistic value over technical competence like me.
Regrettably, the thematic content and visual representation of "Hellbent" didn't resonate with me as much as I would have liked. Its aesthetics and narrative seem primarily aimed at a younger audience. After diving deeper into the song's lyrics and visuals, I found myself struggling to identify a meaningful message or a compelling storyline that could leave a lasting impression. From my perspective, the song seems designed for rapid consumption, potentially sacrificing longevity for immediate impact. As such, there's a risk that the work might seem dated in the near future.
L to R: Ruben Zamora and Brien AllenPhoto credit: Unknown
In conclusion, I am delighted to have discovered Bridges Ablaze and would recommend following them for those specifically into modern alternative metal. Their work offers world-class production with massive commercial potential, incorporating mainstream characteristics of Linkin Park, the production-quality-based work of 30 Seconds To Mars, and the modern melodic metalcore understanding of Architects. Thank you for reading.
Bridges Ablaze, Hellbent (2023) Single Front Cover Artwork Art Credit: Anshuman Jamkiar
Bridges Ablaze is...
Vocals - Brien Allen & Ruben ZamoraGuitars - Brien Allen & Ruben ZamoraAuxillary Guitars - Miles Manglos (in video) & Brien Allen/Ruben Zamora (in studio)Bass - Alec Woodruff (in video) & Robby Joyner (wrote & programmed)Drums - Kyle Tischer (in video) & Robby Joyner/Lord Cocos (wrote & programmed)
Bridges Ablaze on the Web
Youtube
Facebook
Instagram
Official Website
Listen to Metalhead Community's Monsters of Metal Underground playlist on Spotify
