Pure Ecstasy

If there is anything Beartooth used to possess in abundance, it was a certain jagged edge—a willingness to let the hardcore influence bleed into their metalcore framework. With 'Pure Ecstasy', that edge has been filed down until it is smooth, shiny, and entirely toothless. It is a devastatingly dull experience that swaps visceral impact for radio-ready sheen. The verdict is simple: it is a skip.

From the opening title track, the production feels overly compressed, suffocating the organic dynamics of the guitars. Where there should be a wall of sound, there is instead a polished sheen that feels manufactured rather than earned. The riffs lack the muscularity of their previous efforts, opting instead for safe, predictable progressions that never challenge the listener's ear or demand physical movement.

By trading raw intensity for stadium-sized vapidity, 'Pure Ecstasy' proves that some things are better left unsaid.

'Eyes Closed' and 'Bullshit' suffer from the same malaise of ambition. The drumming, once a driving force of the percussion, feels buried under layers of digital sheen. The pacing is erratic, dragging in places where a sharp, percussive hook should have revitalised the momentum. Instead, the band settles into a rhythmic lethargy, leaning on the vocalist's ability to carry the weight of these increasingly hollow structures.

'Beautiful Again' attempts to find a sense of grandeur, but it falls into the trap of empty grandiosity. It is the kind of soaring, cinematic moment that serves the spectacle but fails the song's integrity. The transition into 'Stadiums' follows this trend, sounding less like a powerhouse anthem and more like a bid for a broader, more diluted demographic. It is an expansive, bloated detour that says more about the band's ambitions than their craft.

By the time we reach 'Free' and 'Sorry', the formula is firmly entrenched. These tracks are structurally predictable, relying on a checklist of tropes that have been exhausted a thousand times over in the metalcore circuit. There is no sense of urgency; the transitions are muddy, and the hooks are broad enough to be catchy but shallow enough to forget by the time the next track begins. The creative spark has been traded for safety.

'Lose You To Find Me' and 'You' offer very little in the way of musical innovation. The songwriting feels functional, a calculated exercise in maintaining a certain brand image rather than pushing the boundaries of the genre. The interplay between the instrumentation is missing; it feels like a series of solo performances layered over one another rather than a cohesive, tight unit of musicians working in synchronicity.

'For Me By Me' and the closing 'I Made It' are the final nails in the coffin. 'I Made It' is a particularly egregious example of over-reaching, attempting a triumphant conclusion that feels unearned given the lack of dynamic growth throughout the preceding tracklist. The production choices here make the guitars feel thin and the cymbals harsh, clashing with the attempt at a 'grand' finale.

Ultimately, 'Pure Ecstasy' is a failure of identity. It is an album that tries to be everything to everyone and ends up being nothing to anyone who values substance over sheen. Beartooth has traded their serrated edge for a polished, and frankly exhausting, brand of mediocrity. It is a skip for anyone seeking the grit that once defined the band's sound.