Gippsland based ATLVS haven’t been around for very long at all, forming in mid-late 2017, and have released three singles since then. This latest one is titled “Love”, and is a strong track that showcases their powerful metalcore sound. ATLVS are made up of Francis King (vocals), Nick Clavarino (drums), Nick Fitzgerald (guitar), Steve Lijiack (guitar), and Matt Borthwick (bass/backing vocals).
“Love” is about a nasty breakup, and comes from the perspective of one of the two involved in it. The song is rather emotional, and through the harsh screams of Francis you can hear a level of emotion in it. This is clearly a fairly personal song for him, and you can pick up a sense of mourning throughout the track, although that mourning is surrounded by frustration and regret. The toxicity of the subject matter of the song lurks beneath the surface of the vocals and lyrics, and rears its head in the verses, where you can hear the disgust in Francis’ voice.
“Stay the fuck away from, cause I never wanna see your face.”
The riffs at the start of this song are filthy good, and combine with the rhythmic drum beats and the in-your-face bass to create an absolute thunderstorm of a first verse. As the song goes on, the instrumentals make you feel like you are about to lose your mind, and it’s as if you are standing on the edge of reality, looking back in at yourself. You see the arguing and yelling of a toxic relationship throughout the verses, and the instrumentals represent your emotions while this is going on. The uncertainty of it all is madness. The chorus brings it all together as you finally realise what you need to do, and the instrumentals become more basic and normal as you become more relieved.
The breakdown is the implosion; the breaking apart of what seemed like pure solidarity, and the instrumental version of the rage, frustration, and pain, that comes with the ending of a relationship. “Love” is heavy, and fierce, and I am keen to see these boys live and see what music they put out next. Watch Steve and Nick playthrough “Love” below, or find it in your favourite music streaming places:
iTunes: https://apple.co/2LgUMiX
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2zNVIqN
