When Aurorawave dropped their debut album last year, visionary frontman Nathan Aurora set out to create a space where sun-soaked reggae rhythms could successfully throw down in a pit with the gritty heaviness of rock and the flexing muscle of metal. In the band’s second effort, titled Monument and released August 15th through Ineffable Records, Aurorawave isn’t content to just casually step back into that space this time; no, this go around, they’re kicking down the door and commanding every single inch of it.
Owning what is now known as ‘reggaecore’, this four-piece is constantly impressing.
Finding untold amounts of innovative new techniques to fuse heavy metal riffs with smooth reggae skanking, Aurorawave continues to pioneer and tighten up this new blend of genres. Reggae’s organic sway and metal’s unvarnished power lock into step through similar — but very unique — uses of syncopation, also known as accentuated off-beats, the band’s sound amplifies raw truth in a powerfully violent push/pull that creates a striking symmetry.
Aurorawave’s self-titled debut album made a hell of an early statement, too, bringing in heavy-hitting players from The Ghost Inside, Atreyu, and Attila. Now, the ‘Wave is crashing back to shore with Monument: a bold evolution along this epic musical journey that features a range of modern rock, metal, and reggae icons alike, with members of Underoath, Emmure, The Movement, and Jamaican reggae revivalist artist Jesse Royal. The album even dips into the world of hip hop by bringing in fellow Las Vegas native, EKOH. Whether onstage or in the studio, Aurorawave delivers a style that not only hits hard, but demonstrates how strong music-lovers and fans respond when forging a new lane down the highway of ever-evolving sound.
One thing’s for sure — this band’s lane is here to stay.
Take “Tibetan Sky Burial” featuring Emmure, for instance. I want to highlight this song, because (to me), it’s a song that represents the clearest mashup between metal and reggae. Seven-string guitars chug away, screaming over double-kick drums before abruptly giving way to smooth, simple reggae strums… only to plunge back into chaos moments later. It’s like the Upside Down from Stranger Things grabbing you… briefly letting you go before pulling you back in. Frankie Palmeri’s voice adds a deeper, creepy growl to contrast with Nate’s higher register nicely, mirroring the music itself pretty smoothly.
A couple of songs later, there’s a moderate tonal shift with the track “Seize the Day” featuring one of my favorite vocalists in all of reggae — Josh Swain from The Movement. This song is probably the only one you could call a ‘true’ reggae song on the entire album although you can definitely still hear the rock undertones and influences, keeping the album cohesive. Overall, this is a classic American reggae song, serving as a nice break at the halfway point.
It’s what comes next that’s deliciously villainous.
Wrapping up the back half of the album and saving what is — in my opinion — the best for last, is “Keep the Faith”. This song wraps things up so perfectly and honestly, it could become my new obsession. A clear-cut rock-meets-reggae ballad, the song gives off early 00s vibes — perfect for millennial listeners. It carries such a positive message, too, something that, at the core of all of this, is the true connective tissue between rock, metal, and reggae: “take a breath, it’s all gonna be okay.” Monument is a large step forward for Aurorawave. It’s tighter than their first album; its transitions between genres are smooth without distracting. Not to say the band’s debut album is lacking in any sense… it’s just evolved with Monument. It’s focused. And Nathan damn well executes this focus from tracks one to 11.
This is the type of music that really allows the musicians to sort of go crazy. It stays away from a band being ‘locked in’ to one type of sound. It allows Tanner Arebalo to explode with massive drumming; it gives Mike Mocerino the space to fire off guitar solos like the world is ending; it sees Ray Worrick gliding through with consistency, body and soul. And with Nate’s vision and lyrical drive gluing the whole thing together, the sky really is the limit for Aurorawave.
Aurorawave – “Turn The Page” official visualizer
Track listing:
- Judge Me, feat. Aaron Gillespie of Underoath
- WAVE SH*T
- Suffocate, feat. Kumar Fyah
- Tibetan Sky Burial, feat. Frankie Palmeri of Emmure
- Turn The Page
- Seize The Day, feat. The Movement
- Villain
- Throwing Shade, feat. Jesse Royal
- Never Gonna Stop Us, feat. Ekoh
- Welcome To Your Nightmare, feat. Left To Suffer
- Keep The Faith
Stream ‘Monument’ album:
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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