Remember early/mid 00s metalcore? It was a great time for the genre. Among the plethora of bands that made some of their best stuff back then, we’ve got This or The Apocalypse, although arguably they stretched towards the end of the decade. So, what does that have to do with HAWK? Well, it’s one and the same band, basically. After roughly eight years of silence, the band decided to change their name, shift musical direction and drop a new record on us. All good, right? More or less.
Tolerance’s Paradox isn’t really reminiscent to the previous records. It’s obvious that the name change was warranted as we’re looking at an entirely different band from a sonic perspective. Tolerance’s Paradox is indeed rooted properly in a metalcore backbone, but it branches equally out into something of an alternative metal/post hardcore kind of sound as well. I don’t particularly mind this, I actually like this new direction, but it’s obviously not predominantly metalcore anymore.
For the sake of a comparison, I guess you could compare HAWK to Phinehas in terms of sound and delivery, although HAWK has an intensely nu-metal style of vocal delivery in certain parts, particularly throughout “CLVRMFKR”. If I have to spell it out, it’s that mix of heavy chugs, breakdowns alongside the clean and catchy choruses which are drenched in melodic phrasings. You know what I’m talking about.
Tolerance’s Paradox is pretty short for a record, but it gets the job done in its brisk runtime. It’s better if it’s shorter but proper instead of stretched out just for the sake of it, right? While it seems to be solid and consistent all around, it really doesn’t stand out in any other particular way. I wouldn’t dare say that it’s formulaic, because it isn’t, but it doesn’t go beyond the established genre borders. It’s definitely a must listen if you’re a fan of the genre.
