You can sense how BRACH, emerging from the depths of Germany’s Black Forest and built on the ashes of FORGIVE ME – taps into a harsh, barren energy signaled right from their name.
Their sound, though undeniably melodic, doesn’t rely on lightweight “la-la” singalongs; instead it channels grim, cavernous atmospheres that feel like a natural extension of the neocrust lineage.
This is melody as a dark force, pushing forward with the stoicism and tension you’d expect from a project that struggled through lineup changes, indefinite hiatuses, and the frustration of starting over.
Years back, FORGIVE ME’s pulse already hinted at a distinct edge. Kevin and Ben formed that band, eventually pulling in Thomas (whose previous work in LASTING TRACES was also featured on IDIOTEQ) to handle vocals. But when their drummer departed, they slammed into a wall of dead ends. They tried out new people, spent months searching, and finally let FORGIVE ME drift into silence.
Yet Kevin and Ben refused to let things lie fallow for long. They discovered a new drummer with a background in hardcore and grindcore, a player who could hammer blast beats into their emerging tracks, then brought in a second guitarist hungry to shape something new. With that fresh lineup set, they reached out to Thomas once again to cement the band’s next incarnation.
Now BRACH has released their first four-song EP, with a second four-track installment nearly completed.
The layers of their sound – melodic hardcore reframed through darkened harmonies, dynamic structures, and a visceral intensity – stand apart from the more formulaic strains of this specific style.
These are the kind of compositions that keep hearts on edge, tapping into an elemental feeling too restless to fully cultivate. It’s a sound that thrashes and breathes, shaped by histories of scrapped projects and crossed borders.
Everything is rough-hewn and unworked, with ominous undertones that push beyond the standard definition of hardcore. The band managed to fill empty spaces with tension and catharsis, forging a sound that’s harsh and honest, evolving directly from the residue of what once was. Don’t miss out on this one.
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