En Love

Reviews

En Love / Rabbit split EP

EN LOVE continues their hardcore-forward approach, tearing through two tracks of mosh-worthy mayhem. Capturing the energy of their powerful live presence, these songs are a step forward from their demo, which was quite good. Brutal but not evil. RABBIT is brutal and evil. To the untrained ear, their two songs sound like run-of-the-mill metalcore…and I do have an untrained ear in this case. They’re tight, heavy, and scary-sounding, but it rings somewhat hollow to me, talent notwithstanding. Perhaps it’s stylistic preference, but EN LOVE burns brighter in this pairing.

En Love Promo cassette

EN LOVE surprised me when I saw them earlier this year at The Floor is Gone fest. “Capital H” harcore doesn’t typically appeal to me, but these Clevelanders inject enough elements of punk and powerviolence into their songs to set them apart. Their sound is thick and chunky with tempo changes ranging from metallic breakdowns to blastbeats, with the requisite stops in between. The vocalist sounds legitimately pissed-off, which I appreciate since I find the element of anger in most bands of this genre to be performative at best. EN LOVE gets right to the point too, with nary a song busting the two-minute mark. This would fit well into the Convulse Records catalog, so if that’s your thing, be sure to give this a listen.

En Love Fled EP

Brutal powerviolence from Columbus, OH’s EN LOVE. Clocking in at under ten minutes, the Fled EP is a mosh classic. In what seems to be specifically crafted for the pit, this slab flows perfectly for anyone who is looking to dance their ass off. The EP kicks in slow and low, but immediately jumps into the action. No guitar solos, drums set deep into the pocket, just one homogeneous pile of fervent intensity. Very reminiscent of CLOUD RAT and other modern PV bands. I don’t know if this was on purpose, but the drums are blown out like crazy and it adds so much depth and vigor to an already massive recording. Good stuff here, recommended to anyone who loves newer grind.