This is a bit of a strange record for me to mentally categorise. I don’t do so on the grounds of assigning quality, but it just helps when I have a decent ‘FFO’ in my mind so I can call on those should people ask my opinion on a band, or being maybe more candid than is strictly necessary, in the case of the modern metalcore crowd, to give myself a reminder of who is who, such is the shift towards homogenisation that has blighted the genre for the last 5 years or more. However, I don’t think that Bloom fall foul of that pitfall I should make clear. Although there are moments, passages even, that feel a touch too cookie-cutter for my liking, there’s also a lot in here that make them worthy of your time.

The press notes present Bloom as a melodic hardcore band and for the most part, I think that’s right. There are big dollops of Counterparts in their sound, though without the associated, unhinged personality of Brendan, then it does lack a certain something. At other points, and I’m aware this is a double-edged sword, there are echoes of Wage War. The commitment to pace and grit however, does save the record from ever plunging into that rabbit hole too deeply, i’m glad to say. There are breakdowns aplenty, some of which carry serious heft, to the band’s credit. And when the opening notes of “Carve Yourself Into My Lungs” ring out, bedecked in reverb, I feared the worst…but the opening vocal is a harsh one. Cleaner vocals do make an appearance but are there to complement the screams as opposed to the other way around.

It’s probably a shame that when I listen to a well-produced melodic hardcore/metalcore record these days, one of the first things I have to do is to try and satisfy myself that the band aren’t eschewing their own creative drives in order to land themselves on playlists, rock radio or TikTok. I would assume I was just becoming a cynical old bastard, but it seems every damn week I hear a new track from a band i once loved and think “Oh well. There goes another one…”. So I’m happy to say that I think Bloom are for real. They’re not Gulch or anything, but they can fucking rip when they want to. It’s also worth pointing out that being Australian, they will have seen the meteoric rise of Parkway Drive and the more recent success of Polaris. Both bands who have achieved significant popularity from more ‘accessible’ material (arguably). And Bloom make it clear they do have a balladeering element to what they do. Whether or not it’s sensible to group them all together into tracks 5-7 is maybe a matter of personal preference but it does seem an odd choice. Especially when all 71 seconds of “Laughing Stock” rips you violently from your revery immediately afterwards.

What’s very clear is that Bloom are a band of real ability and promise. What is less clear at this early stage is what their identity will prove to be in the longer term. At this point they do very good versions of Polaris, Counterparts, Northlane and more besides. I would just like to see them lean into something a bit more distinct. What they do create is of objectively good quality but I don’t yet feel I know who they are, musically. Lots of people will really like this and I like it too. But I think the band have got better in them still to come.