Frontierer’s ‘Unloved’ Shakes Listeners To The Core — Literally, If It’s Up Loud Enough

Frontierer’s back. In late July 2018, the punishing mathcore-esque group released their second full length record, Unloved. In the time since their debut Orange Mathematics, most of the band members have hyped up listeners via releasing an album under an alternate moniker, Sectioned.

The wait, populated by releases like Sectioned’s Annihilated, was worth it. Frontierer works intriguing magic in the “mathcore” framework on Unloved, pushing it, basically, to the limit. Whereas on some releases that might be grouped similarly, there’s a sense of control that overrides any blasts of energy, that overwhelming sense of control doesn’t make much of an appearance on Unloved. The band is playing with extreme technical precision, yes, but at the same time, they’ve infused their work with the raw energy of the live performances of bands like The Armed and letlive.

Frontierer’s music is not just something to marvel at from an academic standpoint thanks to their frenzied playing. Their songs drag you through the mud, basically; Unloved feels like the soundtrack to getting wasted, physically, without the assistance of any substances. At the same time, you’re thrilled and exhausted while listening.

There are a couple of intriguing stylistic choices that make an appearance on the record that feel as though they say a lot about the band’s modus operandi. Occasionally, the music gets “glitched out,” devolving into electrified pulsing and sputtering.

It’s almost, in the end, like those sounds represent the band “going over the edge.” They’ve reached the limit of their playing capabilities as humans with only ten fingers and two hands and collapsed.

You can collapse along with the band, in a manner of speaking, via listening to Unloved. The record can be strangely and thrillingly empowering. Going through our daily lives on this planet, we are bombarded with energy on a daily basis. That energy comes from natural sources and unnatural ones. We are around tech, electricity, and even hyped up people on a daily basis.

Unloved is our opportunity to fight back. The record allows listeners to assert themselves as something more than an energy target. Listeners get their “beast mode” activated via listening to the album. What you do in that beast mode is up to you.

5/5 Stars

Check it out below.