Another Now – HEX (review)

Releasedate: 22.05.2024

Another Now is a different player in the Dutch metalcore field and in the metalcore field in general. The band released their first album ‘OMNI’ in 2021, which landed them gigs with Asking Alexandria, Beartooth and Ice Nine Kills. Now, the band is back with their second full-length, ‘HEX’. Of course, we had to review it. Also this year, they are playing one of the biggest core festivals in the Benelux, Jera on Air, alongside Electric Callboy and Enter Shikari. And right before this review aird, we learned that they will be opening for Machine Head! Who is this band?

Another Now

Another Now is a metalcore band from Eindhoven. There must be something in the water in Eindhoven, ‘cause it seems every gem in the Dutch metal scene seems to emerge there. Another Now is definitely one of them. This band blends metalcore with electronic influences in the style of I Prevail and Crystal Lake. I’d rather label them electroniccore or trancecore because of that. They’ve been around since 2018 and released their first full-length in 2021. They have been teasing their latest release ‘HEX’ with the release of the singles Would it Kill You, Breathe, Smile and Doubt. The album, HEX, is 45 minutes of club-style metalcore, metal enough to get our heads banging, core enough to get in your crowdkills, and club enough to start jumping. 

HEX

HEX feels like the soundtrack to a game, but Another Now really isn’t playing. The lyrics are dark, talking about daily struggles. There are a couple of interlude tracks in between a number of stand-alone songs, to tie them together. The album opens with _VISIONS which, like everything on the album, is heavy on electronic influences. After a soft intro, we get all the elements that are featured on the album, from heavy breakdowns, tight drumlines, deep grunts, melodic vocal lines, and heavy emotions to piggy squeals. 

_VISIONS is the opening track, but it’s actually a prelude for DAYDREAMERS, the first real track of the album. After a short synth line, we dive headfirst into the heavy grunts and riffs. All the elements from _VISIONS are present in this track as well. The soft vocals in the pre-chorus parts fit the dream theme well, but the heavy breaks right after are a rude awakening. 

DOUBT turns up the intensity to eleven right from the start. It’s also a more groovy track, with a really catchy pre-chorus. I can see some bouncing action during a live show happening there. This track is maybe a bit more mainstream metalcore, at least the chorus is. Another Now show off their versatility with deep grunts and melodic vocal parts really well on this track.

just BREATHE

BREATHE is my favorite track of the album, and it has been since its release earlier this year. BREATHE is heavy on the electronics, and the samples and synths really add to the heavy party feel on this track. The chorus on this track has one of the best hooks on the album, and the toned-down chorus after the break is a really nice change of pace and another example of Another Now’s qualities. 

Onto the title track of the album, HEX. Another track that has been released prior to the album. After BREATHE, HEX feels a bit chaotic, and even a bit towards deathcore in some aspects. There are plenty of squeals, and the tempo goes through the roof on this track. The breakdown at the end is one of the best on this album as well.  

WOULD IT KILL YOU starts off with a synth line that seems to have been borrowed from the Mass Effect soundtrack. It doesn’t take long for the song to kick in after that, though. Another heavy track, similar to HEX, but with a commercial chorus like BREATHE again. A track like this will do well in a club as well, I imagine. DRIP is similar in that aspect, and it has some hip-hop influences as well. The groove in the verse is hard, but the chorus lets us know we’re still listening to the same album. This is a quieter song, even though there are enough breakdowns, this track would qualify as the ‘ballad’ of the album. 

And after a ballad, of course, is a happy song to lift us up again. SORRY definitely begins like that. This track has one of the strongest choruses of the album, and I imagine this being one of the favorite tracks for a lot of people because of it. For me personally, though it’s groovy, the verses feel a little too empty to me. 

Smile Back

SMILE! is another hard track, which fits the lyrics. With lines like “Death smiles at us, all we can do is smile back” it makes you wonder about the inspiration for this track. THE DEATH OF EVERYTHING features almost Polyphia-like dreamy guitars in the soft break in the middle, only to kick right back into heavy metalcore again. Again, a very catchy chorus; it seems to be a standard on this album. 

Just when you thought we’ve had the ballad with SORRY, we get to MIRAGE, which is even slower, more emotional, and has heavy lyrics like ‘we’re just a mirage of, what we used to be’. It’s more an electronic vibe than a metalcore song, however, the reprise of the track at the end still brings all the vibes. The perfect lead for the final track of the album, another banger, HORIZONS_. Even though I haven’t read all the lyrics for this album, it feels like HORIZIONS_ completes a story. Not just because of the closing underscore that _VISIONS opened with; the song itself feels like the completion of a story. 

Final Thoughts

HEX is a solid and coherent album, that feels like one big trip. My favorite track of the album, and has been since its release, is BREATHE. But there are plenty of other bangers on this album. And even the two tracks that are a bit more on the softer side won’t let you down. It is, however, a very unique niche of metalcore, and probably not just in the Netherlands. It might speak to a broader audience, but the people who dislike the crossover genres will probably have a hard time getting into this album. However, Another Now might be a gateway metal band for people who still don’t know if metal is something they’d enjoy. Just listen to BREATHE, and you probably will for sure. 

Tracklisting:

1. _VISIONS
2. DAYDREAMERS
3. DOUBT
4. leaving
5. BREATHE.
6. HEX
7. we will be more careful next time
8. WOULD IT KILL YOU?
9. DRIP
10. SORRY
11. 290332
12. SMILE!
13. THE DEATH OF EVERYTHING
14. MIRAGE
15. HORIZONS_

You can find Another Now on their website. 

Check out the full album here: 

And be sure to check out the videos on Youtube!