Embitter – Orwellian 2018

Warsaw’s Embitter dropped their Orwellian 2018 EP in the fall, and it turned out to be a record that begs for a repeat listening.

Members of renowned Polish hardcore outfits like Incitement, Outbound, Street Lights, and the mighty Heatseeker play in this band, so we know this won’t be a let down.

The four tracks slay the listener with razor-sharp metallic riffs and dystopian, George Orwell’s “1984”-influenced lyrics about the state of the world today. A throwback and an update of the ’90s metalcore sound, Embitter draw inspiration from a hardcore lineage that includes bands like Morning Again, whose “Dictation of Beauty” is covered on here.

I know that the Orwellian theme has been overused in underground music and art for a long time now, but it’s still a valid metaphor for the current social and political events. It shows the sicknesses in our modern societies—from the media manipulation to the lack of will to cope with the situation. The “Dictation of Beauty” cover also doesn’t feel out of place in the context of that perpetual reproduction of ourselves and our perceptions of beauty through social media.

In short, this demo is a powerful, bold and meaningful hardcore record. The scene in Poland is in a great shape and Embitter are working on a full-length to be released at some point in time. The new record will continue covering mostly political topics as those are the fuel of our turbulent times.