Ontario-based metalcore heavyweights, COUNTERPARTS, recently returned with the announcement of their upcoming full-length, A Eulogy For Those Still Here, due out October 7th from Pure Noise Records. The record finds Counterparts tapping into a deep sense of dread that pushes their visceral sound to even greater extremes. It’s an album that revolves around uncertainty but results in the group’s most definitive statement to date.
Today Counterparts have shared the album’s second single, “Whispers of Your Death,” a towering blast of intricate riffs and crushing drums that wastes no time in introducing many of the harrowing themes of A Eulogy For Those Still Here. The track follows lead single “Unwavering Vow” (which garnered attention from the likes of Stereogum, Revolver, BrooklynVegan, Exclaim, and more), and continues to tease an even darker and more aggressive Counterparts than ever before.
Vocalist Brendan Murphy discussed the new song saying: “I feel like anyone who has been following the band/me pre-pandemic knew this was coming, but this song is about my cat Kuma. My ex and I rescued him just under 2 years ago and he is hands down the sole reason I stuck around long enough to even make this record. Shortly after he was rescued, we developed a special bond and now I canโt imagine my life without him. Unfortunately in the first few months we had him, he became very sick and almost died due to complications of a blood parasite while being FIV positive. Nobody believed he would make itโฆ but luckily he is still here with us and currently doing great. Being his dad is hands down the most important thing Iโve ever done in my life and also what I am most proud of. I love him more than anything in the world and this song is my tribute to him for quite literally giving me a reason to live. 07/26/2020.”
Since forming in 2007, Counterpartsโmade up of Murphy, guitarists Alex Re and Jesse Doreen, bassist Tyler Williams, and drummer Kyle Brownleeโhave gone from underdogs to a globetrotting powerhouse in the world of aggressive music. Engineered/produced by Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Every Time I Die, Vein.fm), A Eulogy For Those Still Here finds Murphy at a crossroads, preoccupied with the inevitability of change and endings. โI think I deal with things by preparing myself for the end,โ he explains. โWith so much of this record Iโm mourning the loss of someone thatโs still alive or saying goodbye to something that hasnโt left yet.โ The result is a high stakes record written as a true statement of intentโa mix of crushing heaviness and stark atmospherics that draws on everything Counterparts have been honing for the past 15 years. โAll of these things I have are still a big part of my life but one day they wonโt be, and I donโt want to be focusing on that instead of enjoying the time I have with them,โ says Murphy. โMaybe Iโm saying goodbye preemptively but I think itโs important to say goodbye while you can.โ
Thereโs an anxiety in life that comes from knowing there isnโt anything to do but try to prepare for the inevitability of change. And sometimes the only thing that can make a drastic shift or an ending more difficult is to see it coming. On their seventh full-length, A Eulogy For Those Still Here, Counterparts set out to capture that surreal space in-between, and in the process pushed their sound to its greatest extremes to make their most definitive statement as a band.
โI think I deal with things by preparing myself for the end,โ explains vocalist Brendan Murphy. โWhen I notice something is wrong or somethingโs up, I canโt just wait for it to happen. I start catastrophizing and then sometimes I end up willing these things into existence. With so much of this record Iโm mourning the loss of someone thatโs still alive or saying goodbye to something that hasnโt left yet.โ Murphyโs preoccupation with endings reaches wide, from relationships dissolving, to friendships fading, to loved ones passing awayโand even to his band.
Since forming in 2007, Counterpartsโmade up of Murphy, guitarists Alex Re and Jesse Doreen, bassist Tyler Williams, and drummer Kyle Brownleeโhave gone from the Hamilton, Ontario, underground to touring the world as metalcore heavyweights. But with 15 years already under their belts, Murphy couldnโt help but consider a day where his well might run dry. โI started to think about what it would be like to write a record as if it would be our last, to try and make something that I knew I would be satisfied with if it was,โ the always candid singer explains. โI love this band, itโs the most important thing Iโve ever done and Iโm very fortunate to have it, but we put a lot into it and itโs not the most sustainable way to live.โ Murphyโs forthrightness is part of Counterpartsโ appeal, and it’s earned them a loyal fanbase who have come to appreciate the unflinching honesty thatโs at the heart of everything the band does. โWeโre just totally transparent,โ Murphy says. โAlmost to a fault. I donโt hide how Iโm feeling lyrically, Iโll say whatever publicly, thereโs just no secrets. So although thereโs some ambiguity with this record, I also think people will understand where weโre coming from.โ
With these self-imposed high stakes, the band convened at Graphic Nature Audio with their longtime producer/engineer, Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Every Time I Die, Vein.fm) to make what would become A Eulogy For Those Still Here. In addition to Putneyโs reliable hand at the helm (โI canโt think of anyone better than Will,โ Murphy laughs. โHeโs got a Grammy, he knows what heโs doing!โ), the album also sees the return of Doreen and Re. The two guitaristsโ roles in Counterparts date back to the bandโs earliest days and their return to the fold was a full circle moment. โItโs been great to have Jesse and Alex fully back,โ Murphy says. โThey were still contributing to a lot of writing even when theyโd left, so it really feels like weโre getting to pick up where we left off. It was the most collaborative writing process weโve ever had for sure.โ
The resulting album feels like Counterparts have honed every element of their sound into its sharpest point, resulting in 11 of their most viscerally compelling songs to date. A Eulogy For Those Still Here kicks off with โWhispers of Your Death,โ a towering blast of frentic, metal-tinged hardcore that spins on a dime between soaring leads and vicious riffs, all while Murphyโs eye-bulging roar lays out a meditation on preemptive grief. โMy cat, Kuma, has been sick,โ he explains. โEven when the vet tells me heโs doing ok, I think heโs going to die. If he sneezes I go to the worst case scenario, and thatโs definitely the mindset I was in when I was writing these songs.โ
The theme reappears on tracks like โFlesh To Fill Your Woundsโ or โBound To Burn;โ the former a rumination on fading love, while the latter explores the unexpected frustrations and pressures of pursuing a creative passion. Murphyโs forthrightness continues on pummeling mid-album standout โSworn To Silence.โ โThe song is about my struggles with lyric writing,โ he says. โWhile we were in the studio, I found it extremely difficult to come up with new ways to convey how I feel. And Iโve grown increasingly frustrated with constantly tapping into some of the darkest points of my life. There were so many nights I spent face down on the floor trying to express my feelings through lyrics and wondering โwhy am I doing this?โ After this album was finished, I was obviously happy with my contributions, but sometimes I wonder how much longer I can keep this up.โ Yet Murphyโs lyrics still cut to the core, like on the albumโs ominous title track, where he directly addresses his fears of impending loss. โA lot of these songs read as though Iโm delivering the eulogy at a funeral even though the subject Iโd written about was very much still aliveโand also in attendance.โ
A Eulogy For Those Still Here comes to a close with โA Mass Grave of Saints,โ and as the songโs earth-shaking aggression crashes into heartrending melody and atmosphere, Counterparts sound as if theyโre pouring every last ounce of themselves into the music. Itโs one of the most climactic songs the band have ever written, and offers a suitably jaw-dropping conclusion to a record that revolves around endings. But as the final wash of guitars slowly fades away, the song still feels like more of a question mark than a period. โAll of these things I have are still a big part of my life but one day they wonโt be, and I donโt want to be focusing on that instead of enjoying the time I have with them,โ says Murphy. โMaybe Iโm saying goodbye preemptively but I think itโs important to say goodbye while you can.โ
