A Hero Named Coward
Choices

A manager, or anyone with little experience managing a band, should first and foremost have the foresight to guide them towards the most appropriate choices. Not necessarily anything groundbreaking, but at least steering a band away from unnecessary expenses for an EP, especially given the current times and near-zero sales in the music industry. A Hero Named Coward presents themselves to the broader public with “Choices”, five metalcore-oriented tracks that encompass all the elements beloved by the new school wave from the U.S., led by the likes of Blessthefall and We Came As Romans: vocal dualism where melodic tones have more space, breakdowns placed more thoughtfully compared to when the genre first emerged, and the introduction of samples and synths in predominantly “core” contexts. All quite standard, starting with the production, which, as in most cases, tends to robustly enhance the sound of the Brescia combo, bringing the production to the standard levels imposed by the market. What this mini lacks — as is often the case with metalcore — is that personal input that gives hope, because yes, the band is certainly well-versed in the genre but has offered very little in terms of personality. “Walls” is the example of a song to build on, the only one where A Hero Named Coward dared to approach new school hardcore more closely. Thankfully, an EP is not enough to pass judgments, so I’ll just hold off on this “Choices” hoping for developments of a completely different ilk in the near future.