Phinehas is one of those metalcore bands that have been around since the first golden age a decade ago, and are still around to bring another round of modern bangers in what I feel is the second golden age of metal music. With years of experience under their belt, they combine old and new to write some undeniably great metalcore songs, and In The Night is my favourite of their new stuff on The Fire Itself.
In The Night has an amazingly energy-amping intro once you get past the thirty seconds of ambience. The riff is bonkers, even in the buildup I already want to throw hands to it. Then, they slap on a hype buildup verse and then drop the breakdown with a dropout callout. The drumming underlaying the exact same riff makes it hit so much harder with the double kicks and then generous spacing to make the smacks hit harder.
The verses feel like a modern rendition of the 2000s metalcore sound, in part for the better mixes these days, but also some subtle creative choices I can't put my finger on that make it sound more refined. I enjoy how much the drums and guitars are going off in the verses regardless of the vocal focus, just makes for a great overstimulating listening experience.
The chorus is decent, I'll admit it's not my favourite part of the song. It doesn't score any good points with me but I don't have anything against it either.
There's a part of the verse before the solo that I enjoy, the one with "an end with terror or terror without end". The chugs underneath is just bliss and the screams are super robust too. The solo right after it is just the cherry on top, feeling like a modern solo with older elements in it.
Anyone who's heard this song know that the ending slaps. They take the same breakdown from the beginning and remove the melodic riff. What are we left with? Pure unadulterated feral chugs. You better be headbanging to this or you're not a metalhead.
It's one of those rare songs that I love for its writing, devoid of sentimental attachment. It's just a brilliant riff and good ol' chugs that have captured and kept my attention. Anything wrong with indulging in a senseless metalcore banger?
Rating: 3/5
"The Fire Itself" Album Cover