For a band that hasn’t even been about for a year, Planara’s EP Hostiles is certainly a well-established and strong release that shows more maturity and experience than well-established bands that have been in the scene for a while.
Quite simply, it’s a great little EP that plays on the band’s strengths and really helps them to stand out from the crowd as they mix a more technical form of metal with pure-and-simple melodic rock with some electronic elements thrown in for good measure. Opener and title track Hostiles is punchy and to-the-point, the perfect choice to get the EP going and there’s a good amount of melody with a massively memorable chorus, and things are a little more aggressive and heavier with the following track On The Run, which is a great contrast to the aforementioned title track.
One of the highlights of Hostiles has to be the wildly catchy Enslaved, which has already been released as a teaser single from the EP – and it’s clear why, because this song embodies all that’s great about Planara. There’s a memorable earworm of an electronic line within the song, complemented perfectly with a powerful vocal performance and marvellously heavy guitar-work underneath.
Hostiles is an exceedingly strong offering from this up-and-coming fourpiece and if this is anything to go by, their upcoming debut full-length release is going to melt your face off!
8/10
