Rocker (feedbot)
Platinum Member
Letters. It’s all about letters. A series of handwritten thoughts, captured in time. When Crystal Park sat down to write the lyrics for Initiate’s new EP, she saw it as a series of intimate conversations, each signed with the valediction ‘With Love // With Rage’.
In many ways writing letters seems at odds with circle pits, sticky floors and sweat-stained air but then Initiate aren’t your typical hardcore band. Their 2023 album ‘Cerebral Circus’ proved they had something to say while operating inside the genre’s confines. In 2025 they released the single ‘Too Much’. It was a promise, a note. It suggested a different direction, post-metal, but it was a sealed envelope. This EP takes a step back, revisiting the sounds and ideas the album was built around and tightens the screws. It’s signed with a kiss.
‘Burn After Reading’ is a passionate love letter written to hardcore. With a punchy introduction, and a rapid d-beat from drummer John Hodge, it feels like a classic, but with the tone established, it shifts into something quite different. The riffs change, the feel changes – it’s like using a new font within the same paragraph, but it works. This is, of course, because its secret is this; the guitarists Draven Carter and Manning Gray provide the melodies while Crystal Park barks over the top. This retains the vicious, slightly rabid feel of hardcore while giving the song personality and nuance. It’s a brilliant trick, and one they use throughout the EP.
While Park flirted with clean vocals on ‘Cerebral Circus’, here they’re consigned to a little atmosphere in the background of ‘Future Saving Grace‘. Her singing voice pales in comparison to her arresting, nuanced screams. It makes for a great choice, especially as the guitarists have melody covered, with the clearest example being the repeating lines on ‘Shadowboxing’ intertwining like a snake.
Zach Tuch has his producer’s fingerprints all over the record. It’s pleasingly raw and retains all the little smudges that give it personality – for example, making the pick slides and feedback on ‘Delusions’ into part of the song’s character. It also gives bassist Michael Morles’s work space to stand out amongst the playful lead guitar.
The EP’s greatest strength is the writing. The songs work so well because the music is built as a series of interlinked sections, paragraphs if you prefer, which create structure amongst the powerful riffs. This is why the false intro to ‘Numb The Pain’ feels earned, and why the strange timing and odd, lumbering meter makes ‘Shadowboxing’ a heavyweight. On ‘Future Saving Grace’, it feels like they’re peeling back through layers until they expose the song’s beating heart, a clicking drum track and beautiful piano motif. It’s a great note to end on.
‘With Love // With Rage’ is a love letter. It’s intimate, passionate and will leave you hot under the collar.
IAN KENWORTHY
In many ways writing letters seems at odds with circle pits, sticky floors and sweat-stained air but then Initiate aren’t your typical hardcore band. Their 2023 album ‘Cerebral Circus’ proved they had something to say while operating inside the genre’s confines. In 2025 they released the single ‘Too Much’. It was a promise, a note. It suggested a different direction, post-metal, but it was a sealed envelope. This EP takes a step back, revisiting the sounds and ideas the album was built around and tightens the screws. It’s signed with a kiss.
‘Burn After Reading’ is a passionate love letter written to hardcore. With a punchy introduction, and a rapid d-beat from drummer John Hodge, it feels like a classic, but with the tone established, it shifts into something quite different. The riffs change, the feel changes – it’s like using a new font within the same paragraph, but it works. This is, of course, because its secret is this; the guitarists Draven Carter and Manning Gray provide the melodies while Crystal Park barks over the top. This retains the vicious, slightly rabid feel of hardcore while giving the song personality and nuance. It’s a brilliant trick, and one they use throughout the EP.
While Park flirted with clean vocals on ‘Cerebral Circus’, here they’re consigned to a little atmosphere in the background of ‘Future Saving Grace‘. Her singing voice pales in comparison to her arresting, nuanced screams. It makes for a great choice, especially as the guitarists have melody covered, with the clearest example being the repeating lines on ‘Shadowboxing’ intertwining like a snake.
Zach Tuch has his producer’s fingerprints all over the record. It’s pleasingly raw and retains all the little smudges that give it personality – for example, making the pick slides and feedback on ‘Delusions’ into part of the song’s character. It also gives bassist Michael Morles’s work space to stand out amongst the playful lead guitar.
The EP’s greatest strength is the writing. The songs work so well because the music is built as a series of interlinked sections, paragraphs if you prefer, which create structure amongst the powerful riffs. This is why the false intro to ‘Numb The Pain’ feels earned, and why the strange timing and odd, lumbering meter makes ‘Shadowboxing’ a heavyweight. On ‘Future Saving Grace’, it feels like they’re peeling back through layers until they expose the song’s beating heart, a clicking drum track and beautiful piano motif. It’s a great note to end on.
‘With Love // With Rage’ is a love letter. It’s intimate, passionate and will leave you hot under the collar.
IAN KENWORTHY