Ahead of the release of their 4th album, ‘Perseverance’, Swedish alt-metal act deliver the single ‘Shallow Ground’, which is pitched as ‘a hugely melodic anthem, packed with hooks and driven by the unforgettable vocals from Cat Fey’… harnessing ‘everything that makes them unique: light and darkness, hope and despair, heavy riffs, and poppy choruses.’
I can’t help but be perturbed. I’m no purist, and I appreciate pop probably more than most fans of metal and beyond, but I can’t help but feel a pang of discomfort and the inclination to ask if poppy choruses really belong in the metal domain.
Accompanied by a video that screams ultimate cliché, featuring as it does the band playing outdoors – admittedly, in a desert rather than a wood or clifftop – it’s bordering on Mr Mister but with the amps turned up to eleven. The chessboard projections, smoke bombs, and flames add little other than distraction, and really don’t help.
But ultimately, the problem isn’t the song so much as how it’s pitched: ‘Shallow Ground’ is actually a decent tune that builds from a moody piano to a raging riff-fest, and Cat Fey’s vocals are strong without being overblown. They manage to kick out chunky riffs and balance them with melodicism without the bombastics or nu-metal corn of Evanescence. Taken for being what it is, it’s a strong single, bold, and big on emotion and atmosphere.
