| Black Flame | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 July 2018 | |||
| Genre | Metalcore | |||
| Length | 40:28 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Dan Weller | |||
| Bury Tomorrow chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Black Flame | ||||
| ||||
| Deluxe edition album cover | ||||
 Artwork used for the deluxe edition album cover. | ||||
Black Flame is the fifth studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. It was released on 13 July 2018 through Music For Nations and Sony Music. [1] It was produced by Dan Weller.
On 27 October 2017,the band left Nuclear Blast and confirmed their signing with Sony Music and Music For Nations. [2] During the months of October and November,the band headlined their "Stage Invasion" tour with metalcore band Loathe as their support act. [3]
On 13 April 2018,the band released the lead single and title track "Black Flame" along with an accompanying music video. That same day,the band revealed the tracklist,album's official artwork and announced the album itself,which is the first to be distributed by the new labels. [4] On 1 June,the band released the second single "Knife of Gold" and its corresponding music video. [5] On 29 June,two weeks before the album release a music video for the song "The Age" and made it as the third and last single of the album. [6]
On 14 June 2019,the band announced the deluxe edition of the album which contains the bonus track "Glasswalk" and live versions of three songs from the original album while also released the bonus track "Glasswalk" as a new single of the album. [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Already Heard |   [8] |
| Dead Press! |   [9] |
| Distorted Sound | 9/10 [10] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [11] |
| KillYourStereo | 75/100 [12] |
| Louder Sound |  [13] |
| Rock 'N' Load | 9/10 [14] |
| Rock Sins | 8/10 [15] |
The album received mostly positive reviews from critics. Already Heard rated the album 4.5 out of 5 and said:"Black Flame is an undeniable step up for Bury Tomorrow,but also a record that points to the band's future ambitions. Its increased melodic death metal influence and electronic-led interludes point to a future in more mainstream metal songwriting. And while that might seem like a dreadful prospect to many listeners,let the confidence of this record remind you that Bury Tomorrow can readapt for bigger audiences without forgetting the ten years that took them up to this point." [8] Zach Redrup from Dead Press! rated the album positively calling it:"Where Earthbound saw Bury Tomorrow treading along the line barely separating them from metalcore's finest,Black Flame shoves them right into the thick of and shoulder-to-shoulder with the genre's elite." [9] Distorted Sound stated that "It's safe to say that BURY TOMORROW have surpassed themselves with Black Flame,and that their stock will go through the roof once it's out in the open for the world to hear. This is an absolutely superb album from one of the best bands to come out of the UK in recent years;long may their career continue." [10]
Exclaim! rated the album 7 out of 10 and said:"This isn't the instant ticket to stardom Bury Tomorrow might have wanted. However,it does solidify them as major heavyweights in an overcrowded scene —sometimes that's enough. But if these gents want to skyrocket to the next level as their heroes have,they'll have to put a bit more of a unique stamp on their music. What's here is great,but inoffensive." [11] Alex Sievers from KillYourStereo gave the album 75 out of 100 and said:"Black Flame is a summarization of everything good about Bury Tomorrow's sound;melody,mosh,malevolence and meticulousness. For a band that's been grinding for over ten years now,their fifth album feels like the genuine start of a new beginning;a new leaf being turned over. It doesn't at all redefine what metalcore or heavy music in the modern era can be or sound like,but that was never ever once the intent on the band's part. It's a record solely meant to push them forward,not necessarily their wider genre. For this is an album made for Bury Tomorrow themselves and for their fans first,everyone else second." [12] Louder Sound gave the album a very positive review,but stated:"On the strength of Black Flame's best songs,Bury Tomorrow could very well join Architects and Bullet for My Valentine in the upper echelons of British metal,but they really need to step out of the shadow of Killswitch Engage and forge their own path. This is a huge step forward for Southampton's finest,but doesn't quite feel like the finished product." [13]
Rock 'N' Load praised the album saying,"Heavy is heavy and melodic is sing along friendly as Black Flame creates a pivotal moment in the bands history and should easily push Bury Tomorrow in the direction that they are aiming. As the saying goes,there is no smoke without fire and this shows how hot Bury Tomorrow are." [14] Sam Dignon of Rock Sins rated the album 8 out of 10 and said:"Black Flame is Bury Tomorrow trying their hardest to break through to that next level. It is their most ambitious effort to date and is up there with Earthbound as their best work. There is still room for the band to grow and hopefully they are able to develop what they've started here. There's always a lot of good will aimed at Bury Tomorrow so hopefully it all comes together this time." [15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Less Violent" | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Adrenaline" | 2:43 |
| 3. | "Black Flame" | 5:15 |
| 4. | "My Revenge" | 4:25 |
| 5. | "More Than Mortal" | 5:31 |
| 6. | "Knife of Gold" | 2:58 |
| 7. | "The Age" | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Stormbringer" | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Overcast" | 5:07 |
| 10. | "Peacekeeper" | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 40:28 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Glasswalk" | 3:49 |
| 12. | "Black Flame" (Live in London, UK) | 4:00 |
| 13. | "No Less Violent" (Live in London, UK) | 3:30 |
| 14. | "The Age" (Live in London, UK) | 3:16 |
| Total length: | 55:04 | |
Bury Tomorrow
Additional personnel
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] | 45 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [17] | 19 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] | 18 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [19] | 22 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [20] | 21 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [21] | 2 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [22] | 13 |
Melodic death metal is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal. The genre features the heaviness of death metal but with highly melodic or harmonized guitar riffs and solos, and often features high-pitched shrieked vocals alongside the low-pitched growls commonly featured in traditional death metal. Pioneered by the English heavy metal band Carcass with their 1993 album Heartwork, melodic death metal developed further in Sweden in the mid-1990s. The Swedish death metal scene did much to popularise the style, soon centering in the "Gothenburg metal" scene. At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul, Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery, and In Flames' The Jester Race, all released in the mid-1990s, were highly influential albums in melodic death metal, with At the Gates and In Flames being the two most common influences on North American 2000s heavy metal bands. Many American heavy metal bands emulated At the Gates' sound, resulting in the usage of the phrase "At the Gates worship".
Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, that originated in the late 1980s. Metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing, while other defining instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedal tones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming; more popular bands often combine this with the use of standard singing, usually during the bridge or chorus of a song. However, the death growl is also a popular technique within the genre.
Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements of melodic death metal and metalcore; it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones, palm muting, double bass drumming, blast beats, metalcore-stylized breakdowns, and vocals that range from aggressive screaming and death growls to clean singing. The genre has seen commercial success for employing a more accessible sound at times compared to other forms of extreme music. Many notable melodic metalcore bands have been influenced by At the Gates and In Flames.
Letlive, stylized letlive., is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's final lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, guitarist Jeff Sahyoun, bassist Ryan Jay Johnson and drummer Loniel Robinson. Butler was the band's only constant member. The band has released four full-length albums and one EP, with their final album If I'm the Devil being released on June 10, 2016. The band was last signed to Epitaph Records.
Bury Tomorrow are a British metalcore band formed in 2006 in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The band is composed of six members; lead vocalist Daniel Winter-Bates, bassist Davyd Winter-Bates, drummer Adam Jackson, lead guitarist Kristan Dawson, who replaced founding guitarist Mehdi Vismara in 2013, rhythm guitarist Ed Hartwell, and keyboardist and vocalist Tom Prendergast, who both replaced Jason Cameron in 2021. Bury Tomorrow have released seven studio albums, their most recent being The Seventh Sun, released on 31 March 2023.
The Union of Crowns is the second studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. The album was released on 13 July 2012 through Nuclear Blast. It was produced by Antony Smith and Pedro Teixeira. It is also the last album to feature the band's founding lead guitarist Mehdi Vismara before he left the band in 2013. It was recorded within the first few months of 2012. The album's release was delayed several times by the band, in an attempt to find a record label who could provide international distribution simultaneously.
Apocalyze is the second studio album by Japanese metalcore band Crossfaith. It was released on 4 September 2013 through Smaller Recordings in Japan, Search and Destroy Records in Europe and The End Records worldwide. It was produced by Yasuo Matsumoto and Kenya Yamamoto.
Runes is the third studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. It was released on 26 May 2014 through Nuclear Blast and was produced by Mike Curtis. The album is named after the Rune Poems and is the band's first to feature Kristan Dawson, who replaced founding member Mehdi Vismara as Bury Tomorrow's lead guitarist in 2013. In June 2014, Runes reached number 34 on the UK charts and was also number 1 on the UK Rock Chart.
Earthwalker is the second studio album by Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake. It was released on 2 May 2014 through UNFD and Rise Records. It was produced by Josh Schroeder, Dan Brown and Troy Brady. The album peaked at No. 5 at official ARIA Charts.
Skydancer is the third studio album by Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake. It was released on 1 May 2015 through UNFD and Rise Records. It was produced by Josh Schroeder, Dan Brown and Troy Brady. It is the continuation of their second studio album Earthwalker. The album peaked at No. 2 at official ARIA Charts. It's the last album to feature Caleb Burton as a writer, with his departure following the release of Skydancer. Nic Pettersen of Northlane played drums on the album, with Caleb being unable to secure a US Visa in time to record the album; producer Josh Schroeder revealed on Reddit that he was originally going to track drums for both Earthwalker and Skydancer, going as far as writing the drum tracks for both records and practicing as a touring member for the upcoming shows close to his studio.
Ire is the fifth studio album by Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive. It was released on 25 September 2015 through Resist and Epitaph Records, and was streamed online on 20 September. The album was produced by George Hadji-Christou. The band sought to change their established style with Ire, and reviewers have noted the inclusion of new influences.
Earthbound is the fourth studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. It was released on 29 January 2016 through Nuclear Blast. It was produced by Caleb Shomo, the lead vocalist of the band Beartooth. This is their last release on Nuclear Blast due to their signing to Music For Nations and Sony Music.
Xeno is the third studio album by Japanese metalcore band Crossfaith. It was released on 16 September 2015 through Ariola Japan, Razor & Tie and UNFD. It was produced by Josh Wilbur.
Desolate Divine is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band The Color Morale. It was released on August 19, 2016 through Fearless Records, and was produced by Dan Korneff and Aaron Saunders. It is the band's last album before they went into a hiatus in 2018.
Loathe are an English heavy metal band from Liverpool. Formed in 2014, the group consists of lead vocalist Kadeem France, guitarist and second vocalist Erik Bickerstaffe, drummer Sean Radcliffe and bassist Feisal El-Khazragi.
Deadweight is the second studio album by American metalcore band Wage War. It was released on August 4, 2017, through Fearless Records. It is also the first album to have lead vocalist Briton Bond do clean vocals alongside Cody Quistad on the songs "Never Enough" and "Gravity".
Pagan were an Australian band from Melbourne, Victoria formed in 2013. Their music merges the sounds of black metal, disco and punk rock. Their track "Heavy Repeater" peaked at number one on Triple J's punk/metal chart.
Cannibal is the sixth studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. Originally scheduled for release on 3 April 2020, it was released on 3 July 2020 through Music For Nations. It was produced by Dan Weller. The album hit the Top 10 of album charts in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Scotland. It is the last album to feature the band's founding rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist Jason Cameron before he left the band in July 2021.
The Seventh Sun is the seventh studio album by British metalcore band Bury Tomorrow. The album was released on 31 March 2023 through Music for Nations and it was produced by Dan Weller. It is the first album to feature the band's new rhythm guitarist Ed Hartwell and keyboardist/clean vocalist Tom Prendergast.