Photo Courtesy: 10 Years Bandcamp
On Friday, October 11th, 2024, Tennessee Heavy Alternative/Alternative Metal Veterans 10 Years just released their new EP titled “Inner Darkness”. It is their first major release since their 2022 release “Deconstructed (Alternate Take)” and their ninth studio album in 2020: “Violent Allies”. Before this release, they released four singles that would make the EP: “The Optimist”, in 2022, “I Remember” in 2023, “Rise”, and “The Optimist feat. The Conquer Divide” in 2024.
The opening track, “The Optimist” is a hard-hitting duet track that features the vocalist from the Alternative Metal/Metalcore group The Conquer Divide Kia Taylor at vocals. 10 Years lead vocalist, Jesse Hasek’s and Taylor’s vocals are an excellent duo as they harmonize together during the pre-choruses, choruses, and outro. The second track “Gravity” is probably my favorite track on this album as it features anxious lyrics, driven guitar riffing, Hasek’s versatility between aggressive and melodic vocals, and the excellent instrumental outro that showcases the arty and proggy aspects of their sound. The third track, “Rise” is far and away their most optimistic song on the EP. As quoted from the band it is “…about pulling yourself out of the trenches and breaking the cycle of your own self-destruction. It’s about the fight to overcome the negativity and obstacles you face and trying to rise above them.”
The fourth track “Speechless” is probably the least metallic song overall on the EP as it is a great heavy alternative track with beautiful vocals and atmospheric sections. The fifth track “I Remember” features heavy guitar riffing, melodic vocal sections, and lyrics that seem to be about things fading away as (certain) adversity comes unexpectedly, which reminds me of “The Shift” from “Violent Allies”. The sixth track “The Trench” is probably the heaviest track on the EP as it features chunky riffs and some screaming vocals, like their past pure alternative metal tracks. The closer “The Optimist” sounds like a classic 10 Years track with driven guitar riffing, melodic vocals, and powerful lyrics.
Overview: This EP is a 9/10, due to a combination of awesome vocals from Jesse Hasek, the excellent riffing from Ryan Johnson, and compelling lyrics that would relate to the listener.
Track List:
1. The Optimist feat. Conquer Divide - 2:58
2. Gravity - 5:20
3. Rise - 3:05
4. Speechless - 3:25
5. I Remember - 3:08
6. The Trench - 4:14
7. The Optimist - 2:58
Total Length: 25 minutes
Favorite Tracks: “Gravity”, “Speechless”, and “Rise”. Least Favorite Tracks: None
Recommended For: Fans of Heavy Alternative and/or Alternative Metal music especially Chevelle, A Perfect Circle, Fair to Midland, and Red.
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