Line-up changes always cause some consternation and Bury Tomorrow proved to be no exception after announcing the departure of guitarist-vocalist Jason Cameron in 2021. ‘The Seventh Sun’ is their first new music since then, and it serves as a declaration of intent and a resolute refusal to be cowed.
Trading on the modern metalcore template they reinforced with ‘Earthbound’ and ‘Black Flame’, Bury Tomorrow waste no time in assuring fans that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The title track opens and it's everything we've come to expect of the Southampton wrecking crew. A squall of guitar gradually fades in before it kicks into gear, all churning drums and vicious roars, with a melodic chorus as a reprieve. Crucially, it feels like their hearts are back in it.
Abandon Us is, again, all metalcore aggro with a neck-snapping groove and cries of “how could they do that to us?” that are sure to be bellowed back by crowds.
It isn’t all sunshine, rainbows and masterful reinventions, though. While its opening run is enviably strong, by the time Forced Divide hits four songs in it’s feeling a little one-note without much variety in the structure: bouncing riff, singalong hook, neat breakdown, rinse and repeat. Thankfully, the band switch things around with Wrath at the LP’s midpoint, serving up a progressive lens on the guitars and soaring choruses.
New keyboard player and vocalist Tom Prendergast acquits himself well, slotting into the band seamlessly with his arresting, emotional cleans and swathes of keys that underpin songs without being ostentatious. Guitarist Ed Hartwell throws in some complex guitar parts too, a move they embrace without straying too far from their metalcore roots. Ultimately, ‘The Seventh Sun’ is a concise answer to concerns over Bury Tomorrow’s line-up shift, refocusing their energy and offering proof there’s plenty left in the tank.
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