  
The Browning have only been a full complete band
for 3 months and are already dropping their debut
album. Being fronted by ex-As Blood Runs Black
vocalist Jonny McBee who also produced the record
definitely gives some expectations of what kind
of sound the band will have opted for and having
managed to ink a deal with Earache Records it
is obvious the band is wasting no time trying
to kick start their career. It’s not about
credentials with a band like this because even
the best musicians can crash and burn when they
get too arrogant; it’s about the sound,
the performance and the feeling.
Now I was never a fan of As Blood Runs Black;
they are an extremely heavy metal band, breakdowns
everywhere, heavy distortion and quick drumming.
The Browning also take the heavier approach but
the main element of their sound is the rave inspired
electronics; everything else is still there, the
breakdowns, heavy distortion and quick drumming
but it’s this stylistic choice that makes
their music a lot more interesting. The vocals
fit perfectly too, they aren’t “brutal”
so to speak but more aggressive, a cross between
Jamey Jasta and Randy Blythe if you could imagine.
The best song in my opinion hands down is “Standing
on the Edge”, it’s just got such a
great vibe and is ridiculously infectious; picture
if you will one of the world’s biggest dance
anthems combined with a more refined version of
As Blood Runs Black. If you’re looking for
a comparison, take out the melodic singing from
Dead By April and then make it heavier, that would
effectively be The Browning; “Not Alone”
is the track that shows that analogy the best.
This style of music is so fresh and some of the
things they do with it are amazing; “Burn
This World” has an orchestral feel purely
from electronics, “Ashamed” has a
dubstep-esque intro that crops up during parts
of the song and many other different tweaks.
I honestly like ever single song on this album;
in such a short time-span and with a low budget
how they’ve managed to put this much effort
and energy into a debut album is just astonishing.
The problem is with people these days being judgemental
and close-minded when it comes to music people
will slate the band for simply that combination
without even giving it a chance, with any luck
the sheer standard of metal that the band performs
will win people over. I would definitely love
to see this live as the atmosphere the music could
create is something that excites me greatly, absolutely
tremendous.
4.5/5
Review by James Webb
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