Cowards & Heroes
Inviting you to share the burden of existential disillusionment, Unfound Reliance’s new single “Cowards and Heroes” is a non-stop ride into collective angst. Featuring the collaboration of Peter Iwers on the production (former In Flames and Chyra), this new musical approach positions the band as a worthy carrier of the Gothenburg sound torch.
The band’s welcoming creative mindset is clear from the get-go: A metalcore-ish memorable chopped riff gives way to melodically-friendly guitar solos that you can actually hum. But then comes frontman Andrew Johansson’s growl of despondency, just to make it clear that Unfound Reliance still pays tribute to decades of Swedish Death Metal. With capital letters.
The “Cowards and Heroes” in the song aren’t antagonists, but rather two sides of the absurd coin of life. They dive into the sense of meaninglessness in modern individualist struggles: “You are raised to believe in yourself, but the management still holds you in line”.
However, these harsh insights aren’t an invitation to stop giving a fuck. There’s a sense of collectivism in their sound, an invitation to join them as an army of nonconformists and resist, even if the carrier of the torch can’t provide you with answers to existential unease.
Starting as a hard rock cover band in their native Karlstad and picking up their instruments at the same time at school, Unfound Reliance has maintained a mostly consistent lineup since 2013. The release of their single “End Time” in 2017 got the band the top position on Swedish national radio station P3’s program for upcoming acts.
To be released this fall, ”Cowards and Heroes” is the band’s first single with Gothenburg-based Rexius Records. A brutally melodic appetizer to an EP they describe as “The combination of hating life but being happy to have it.”.
Cover art by: Albert Frykman
Introspective Metal That Gives a Fuck