Relentless Pursuit – To Fear Is To Live
Relentless Pursuit – To Fear Is To Live – EP Review
YOU may or may not remember good ol’ Matthew Konradt and his band Relentless Pursuit, but I sure do. If you wanna know why that is, click here and read one of the past reviews I wrote about his music for a song called “Modified Reconstruction” from his last record Mechanisms Of Destruction, and then ask yourself if YOU feel like you could have forgotten someone’s tunes after an experience like that!
Anyhow. “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life…” as the legendary Nina Simone would tell ya. Am I feeling good about pushing play on To Fear Is To Live? I’m feeling apprehensive and cautious – how about that? If I thought for one second that the EP was all going to sound as appealing as “Exordium” does, I’d be all for it and I’m sure I’d be ranting and raving about this record for all the right reasons. This ain’t my first rodeo though, as they say…and I know that an onslaught of sound is likely lurking right around the corner. “Exordium” seems so peaceful and serene…it’d almost be a shame to break this vibe, wouldn’t it Matthew? Yet here we are, ready to continue into track two, knowing that he’s got no qualms about plunging this record into the depths of the Metalcore/Deathcore sounds he enjoys most.
Hang on…just a second here. “Patience Is An Art” really ain’t all that bad! Heck, I mean…this would even be hard to categorize and squeeze into the two genres we typically associate with Relentless Pursuit. Sure, you’ve got the screaming and the gnarly vocals and all that – but what you’ll hear on “Patience Is An Art” actually has a ton more in common with the guitar-based acts like Vai and Satriani than it would with what people usually tend to associate with Metalcore or Deathcore music. Am I happy about that? Personally, YES. I can actually hang with a song like “Patience Is An Art” and feel like it’s something I can truly appreciate…I mean, heck – I might even just listen to this again someday, and that is indeed a step forward from where I’ve been with Relentless Pursuit in the past. It is very Jesus-y, and you’ll definitely find that’s a more prevalent aspect of the lyricism on this record overall…I found the songs on To Fear Is To Live a lot less ambiguous than I have in the past and it felt like Konradt has made a point of making it clear which side of the heavenly fence he’s chosen to stand on. So be it. That ain’t me, but I respect it all the same. I like a lot of what he’s done with “Patience Is An Art” and don’t feel like I need to pick it apart just to find some kind of tiny crack in it, because at best, that’d be all you’d find. From what I’m hearing, he’s absolutely nailed this second track…the music is absolutely stellar, the vocals are extreme, but extremely well done…you get additional elements like the Spoken Word moment before he really starts roaring at ya, and an equal dose of contrast between the light and dark you hear in the music. All-in-all, if I had to judge the EP from this second track, which is arguably the real first impression of Relentless Pursuit’s music this time around…I’d tell ya that Konradt is on his way to some of his best work without question. Listen to that breakdown around the 2:30 mark y’all – that’s insanely good! So is the way this track drifts out into the ether of its finale…this is a quality cut, for real.
It’s funny though…you know that old saying, “once bitten, twice shy?” I feel like that applies to me now when I’m listening to Relentless Pursuit after how I took in Mechanisms Of Destruction earlier this year. So case in-point, even though I’ve enjoyed both “Exordium” and “Patience Is An Art” – I still, 100% feel the tension in me as I listen, wondering if it’s merely a matter of time before the honeymoon is over on this new record and we switch back to the stuff that makes my stomach churn. You know something though? I’m not feeling inclined to complain right now. As far as I understand it, “Comfort In Knowing” was the lead single from this record…and I suppose I get that…with its massive pounding & hard hitting beginning, you can hear how “Comfort In Knowing” draws on a lot of what we’ve heard from Relentless Pursuit in the past…but in my opinion, you can really hear the growth in this project through songs like this as well. There’s a level of accessibility that “Comfort In Knowing” has that Konradt has often shied away from on past records…he’s always been capable, but he hasn’t quite embraced it like he has on To Fear Is To Live – and I’d be willing to bet it’s a move that’s definitely going to pay off creatively for him on a personal level, as well as open the doors to more people listening. There’s no doubt that your average everyday listener is still going to have to withstand an onslaught of sound that is tangibly FORCEFUL as it booms and bellows from your speakers as “Comfort In Knowing” begins – but I’m tellin’ ya…if you make it through that, you’ll find something to love about this song through its instrumentation and/or melody before you’ve even hit forty seconds in. That ain’t that long to wait y’all…ride out the storm of sound, and see where it takes you. By the time you reach the 2:10 mark & this song is making its way towards its ending, you’ll find a remarkable moment of peace and serenity that works wonders. From where it starts to where it ends up, “Comfort In Knowing” takes you on a seriously impressive journey within just over three minutes…like you’ve gone from one side of extremes all the way to the other. I’m actually into this though Konradt…the direction of this EP has really been fantastic so far.
“To Remain Selfless” is probably the most true to the Relentless Pursuit you’ve heard in the past without flexing too much of an update on the sound, though it does get innovative with its choppy edit towards the end in the final forty seconds or so of this track. I dunno y’all…you see…here’s the thing – as artists and as musicians, you can SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS when you play your cards correctly, and I’d argue that that’s exactly what Matthew has done here. Do I love “To Remain Selfless?” Heck no! But am I more open to listening to it as a result of the first three tracks on this record being so damn good? YES – the answer is definitively YES – and I feel like I really won’t be alone in feeling that way. There is no doubt that those outside of the Deathcore/Metalcore scenes will have a bit less for them in the mix when it comes to this particular track, but heck, this dude’s already found exciting new ways to meet us halfway in the songs that came prior, and ultimately that makes every one of us on the fringe of his genres of choice more willing to listen to what he’s come up with on a track like “To Remain Selfless.” He dips a bit back into the cookie jar on this cut (he knows what I mean) – so I’ve gotta naturally rebel a little bit against that, but I’ve also gotta give credit where credit is due too – I really like the early breakdown in this song, I like the interesting use of synths in the background in behind the chaos, and from around the 2:10 mark forward, I felt like Konradt tapped into some seriously unique ideas that can’t help but stand out from performance to production. Plus, you gotta love that beastly scream on the way into this tune as well! I might not love the rest of the vocals on this cut, but the beginning of it – that first impression and hit you get from that scream he lays down…that couldn’t have come out more perfectly than it did. Lyrically, he sounds quite repentant…we don’t know why or what for, but I suspect that’s not really our business anyhow. That’s one of those, ‘it’s between you and your God’ type things.
Going into writing this and listening to this new Relentless Pursuit record, I would have assumed that I’d probably enjoy the instrumental cuts like “Exordium” and “Interim” the most out of the set-list, because that’s usually a little closer to my personal taste…but I don’t know that I can say that’s actually how I felt after listening to this entire EP. There are so many leaps forward in the evolution of Relentless Pursuit this time around that I felt like other aspects & things I’ve highlighted in listening to songs like “Patience Is An Art” and “Comfort In Knowing” will probably leave a more memorable impact on me this time around. I really do enjoy both “Exordium” and “Interim” as well…but I suppose that I expected I would, because Matthew has already proven he’s got exceptional ideas with what he creates in his music. It’s that whole element of surprise thing I guess…that’s where tracks like “Patience Is An Art” and “Comfort In Knowing” have the advantage on the instrumentals…I don’t think I was expecting to enjoy those as much as I did. Credit where credit is due y’all…Konradt has tweaked his process and made adjustments that are noticeable in the writing and in the production as well…to me, this is unquestionably his best record so far, and also the most listenable. “Interim” is a kickass cut by any measure and definitely up there with my favorites on this EP for sure, but yeah…I would have predicted that going into this as well. Confirmation of something like that ain’t ever a bad thing…when this dude applies himself, commits, and plays with this level of intention & purpose combined, he’s capable of extraordinary compositions.
A lot of folks will tell ya it’s all about GIRTH…but make no mistake, when it comes to the art of writing music and songs, LENGTH is what can really lead you to victory. I feel like Konradt has tapped into the spot where Relentless Pursuit is most effective, and keeping things pretty tight around that three to four minute mark really worked in his favor throughout this EP. Lest we forget, everything you’re listening to is being created by just one dude…so from the most extreme & intense moments, to the most delicate ideas he chooses to display, that’s all 100% pure Matthew Konradt, and he should be mighty proud of that fact. As To Fear Is To Live wraps up with “a love song” called “Cessation” – I’m probably a bit more back & forth about this final cut, but I feel like this guy has shown such incredible restraint throughout the majority of this record that letting him have a moment to unleash the beast within and let loose is something he’s earned this time around. Am I gonna advocate on behalf of what I hear from 2:08 to the end of this 3:01? Of course I am! Good Lord, who wouldn’t? That’s not just a beautiful moment in this particular tune, it’s one of the more gorgeous pieces of music you’ll hear this YEAR. So just so we’re clear here, it ain’t me that’s CHOOSING to take the path less travelled – that’s also 100% pure Konradt and he’s in full control of his destiny in that regard. If he wrote softcore tunes, things might be way different for him all-around. Would things be easier if he made the kind of music you hear in the final fifty seconds of this EP? Yes. Obviously yes. Accessibility is always a clearer path to getting heard – but…it doesn’t compensate for what we’re truly interested in or engaged with as artists, and we have to be mindful to respect that. Matthew IS the guy that loves his Deathcore, loves his Metalcore, loves his extremes and the contrast that the clashing of light & dark creates, and to simply suggest he goes out and writes in a completely different way wouldn’t just necessarily produce the kind of results you hear at the end of a song like “Cessation,” because it would essentially have to be a whole different him to achieve that – make sense? So for those of us on the fringe at the moment, daring to dip a toe into the waters he so willingly wades into, we’re kind of at his mercy and have to take what we can get in terms of what might appeal to us – and in my personal opinion, you’ll be quite pleased to find there’s more here within this EP in that context than we’ve perhaps ever heard from him so far. As for you fans of what Relentless Pursuit does and the Metalcore/Deathcore crowd…I fully suspect you’re still gonna be thrilled at how this came out too. Konradt hasn’t compromised his sound…he’s adapted it creatively & cared for its evolution, and as a result, I think he’s proven Relentless Pursuit has plenty more in the tank.
Find out more about Relentless Pursuit at the official website at: https://rpmusicfromkentucky.wixsite.com/relentlesspursuit
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