Band:	The Browning
Album:	Hypernova
Style:	Trancecore, Metalcore
Release date:	October 01, 2013
A review by:	wormdrink414

01. Invasion
02. Save The World
03. Gravedigger
04. Industry
05. Hypernova
06. Fifth Kind
07. Type 1A
08. Slaves
09. Black Hole
10. Breaking Point
11. Planet Hate
12. Cross The Line
13. Fearplex
14. Gravedigger [Eskimo Callboy remix]

The Browning is an electro/deathcore fusion band from here in the states. A lot of people seem to hate them. I don't. I mean a catchy song is a catchy song and The Browning writes catchy songs. Hell, they were so catchy on Burn This World (their debut) it ended up being one of my favorite discs of 2011. And I have impeccable taste.

Shit was different back then. This is more of the same from these guys, but somehow that "the same" seems a good measure worse now.

Their formula is simple. They take some pretty shitty breakdowning, add some quasi-whiny harsh vox, then throw in a whole lot of electronic tunes. Then they repeat.

Somehow it all seemed to work two years ago though. Their sound was more than the sum of its parts?it's one of those x + y = z, no matter if x or y are false sorts of things, z is, despite it's invalid premises, true. I don't get it, but I also wouldn't really care to. Z is z is z... z being "catchy."

Hypernova is similar to their first album, but it's tweaked and molded in an unpleasant way. There wasn't one track that made me want to shuffle about flopping my arms and a binky dangling from my mouth?nothing here will make you want to dance. And that's a pretty big problem considering the metal gears that run this thing are all covered in half-melted, melodramatic cheese. Songs chug along awkwardly, banging and hissing out smoke and whatnot. Smoke without any cool fire that is.

On first listen The Browning does sound like they're playing more tightly this time around though. The grooves typically flow more smoothly than before and the electro seems to fit more snugly into their style, but I think that might be the big problem here. Their original was sloppier in a good way?it felt like they put it together with more energy and verve, where this sounds more nitpicked and anal. There's not as much heart as before. It's tedious.

It's so fucking tedious it made me think that maybe my review of their debut was all a big misstep?maybe these guys always sucked and I cognitive dissonanced myself into liking them so as to make-believe contrarian.

Of course, that wasn't the case. My reviews are never wrong. These guys are an excellent group of forward-thinking, avant-gardes visionaries, really, they just fucked most of this album up somehow. It's boring, for the most part, has no bite, for the most part, and won't make you dance, for the most part.

Permission granted to pass on this one.