Confession is fronted by Michael Crafter, former front man of now defunct Australian metalcore bands, I Killed the Prom Queen and Carpathian, and also boasts Dan Brown, formerly of Byron Bay hardcore band 50 Lions. The result is largely as one would expect. Cancer is the second release, and pretty much picks up where their debut release left off. There’s plenty of open string, “mosh”, break downs broken up by melodic and catchy riff progressions. Singing, for the most part is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Crafter, with deep, often guttural vocals. The surprise here though is the presence of clean singing throughout many of the tracks. Harmonising with the lead guitar, it comes off as surprisingly melodic, if not at times, a little poppy. There are also some nu metal undertones that becomes glaringly obvious on the song “That scag and his floozie, they’re gunna die” due to guest vocalist JJ Peters from rap/metalcore band Deez Nuts. While there are fleeting moments of genuine creativity within the album, one can’t help but being left with the feeling of expecting a little more from musicians who have played such a predominant role in the hardcore and metalcore scene.
