Rocker (feedbot)
Platinum Member
Back in 1997, when Rage Against The Machine yelled ‘It’s coming back around again!’ they probably weren’t talking about rap metal, but here we are. It’s 2025 Nu-metal’s comeback is firmly established, Limp Bizkit are headlining next years Download and rap rock is very much in. Capitalising on this are Australian newcomers Indigo Blaze. Their debut EP arrives with a surprising amount of buzz, mainly as their single ‘Critical Hit’ won the Western Australian Music Heavy Song of the Year – while it’s not entirely clear if this is a big thing, it could be – they have to prove it. So, are Indigo Blaze worth making a fuss over?
Yes, in a word – ‘UTC’ is an EP crammed full of interesting guitar sounds, slick vocals and mountains of groove. However, because you can hear their influence a mile off, it’s difficult to discuss Indigo Blaze without talking about Limp Bizkit, mainly because they’ve taken all that band’s best ideas and forced them into a different mould. It’s a dirtier, less mainstream sound, with a taste for a big hook. You can’t help but bang your head to the strong, confident guitar lines or fall in step with the swaggering attitude and while the songs aren’t doing anything actually new they’re putting a modern spin on ‘classic’ sounds signalling that nu-metal can feel both current and energised.
Straight off the bat ‘Starwound’ hits hard with clever, picked guitar lines and an absolutely massive chorus. It’s a hugely confident start. In a similar vein ‘Pump It’ wraps its vocals around a clunky, detuned verse but then has space for the chorus to fly like the punches in a street brawl. Cleverly, on ‘D1’ they invert this idea, using faster rapped parts and almost gang-chant style chorus to give it a different feel. On the pleasingly heavy ‘Got Pace’ they prove adept at the kind of rapid-fire assault Stray From The Path have been known for. Clearly, they can write a nu-metal banger, while they haven’t yet dipped their toes into the weird side of the genre, they do offer the more hip-hop influenced ‘UTB’ which leans more heavily on the drumbeat to create a canvas for vocalist Rhys Gahan to rap over.
Indigo Blaze understand how massive nu-metal can sound, nowhere is this more obvious than ‘DEFCON’ – however its heavy use of record scratching is less hip-hop and more because Nu-metal says so making it feel like a throwback. Yet, it doesn’t detract from the song’s gravitas, or the way it brings the EP to a satisfying close.
Earlier this year the film ‘Y2K’ spent its runtime mocking the 2000s era but still treated Fred Durst like Nu-metal Jesus. This was strange, given his entitled, often tone-deaf lyrics (Their biggest hit is literally him having a strop because he can’t have his own way). Wisely, Gahan does the opposite, striking a different tone. The songs on ‘UTB’ feel like parties that everyone’s invited to, that’s their biggest strength.
IAN KENWORTHY
Yes, in a word – ‘UTC’ is an EP crammed full of interesting guitar sounds, slick vocals and mountains of groove. However, because you can hear their influence a mile off, it’s difficult to discuss Indigo Blaze without talking about Limp Bizkit, mainly because they’ve taken all that band’s best ideas and forced them into a different mould. It’s a dirtier, less mainstream sound, with a taste for a big hook. You can’t help but bang your head to the strong, confident guitar lines or fall in step with the swaggering attitude and while the songs aren’t doing anything actually new they’re putting a modern spin on ‘classic’ sounds signalling that nu-metal can feel both current and energised.
Straight off the bat ‘Starwound’ hits hard with clever, picked guitar lines and an absolutely massive chorus. It’s a hugely confident start. In a similar vein ‘Pump It’ wraps its vocals around a clunky, detuned verse but then has space for the chorus to fly like the punches in a street brawl. Cleverly, on ‘D1’ they invert this idea, using faster rapped parts and almost gang-chant style chorus to give it a different feel. On the pleasingly heavy ‘Got Pace’ they prove adept at the kind of rapid-fire assault Stray From The Path have been known for. Clearly, they can write a nu-metal banger, while they haven’t yet dipped their toes into the weird side of the genre, they do offer the more hip-hop influenced ‘UTB’ which leans more heavily on the drumbeat to create a canvas for vocalist Rhys Gahan to rap over.
Indigo Blaze understand how massive nu-metal can sound, nowhere is this more obvious than ‘DEFCON’ – however its heavy use of record scratching is less hip-hop and more because Nu-metal says so making it feel like a throwback. Yet, it doesn’t detract from the song’s gravitas, or the way it brings the EP to a satisfying close.
Earlier this year the film ‘Y2K’ spent its runtime mocking the 2000s era but still treated Fred Durst like Nu-metal Jesus. This was strange, given his entitled, often tone-deaf lyrics (Their biggest hit is literally him having a strop because he can’t have his own way). Wisely, Gahan does the opposite, striking a different tone. The songs on ‘UTB’ feel like parties that everyone’s invited to, that’s their biggest strength.
IAN KENWORTHY