Burner are without a doubt one of the most uncompromisingly heavy bands around.
Release date: September 25, 2026 | Church Road Records | Bandcamp | Tidal | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Burner are fire (pun intended) and hands down one of the gnarliest and angriest bands currently out there. Over here at Everything Is Noise, we love this kind of stuff. If you’ve never heard of Burner before, we did a WFA on them and reviewed their previous album, so you can check those out for an introduction. Ever since I first heard their music, I was immediately hooked. In terms of heavy music, they simply do not fuck around whatsoever and always deliver what they have to say effectively.
Up to It All Returns to Nothing, Burner’s sound could easily be described as a gritty blend of metallic hardcore, thrash metal, mathcore, metalcore and even a bit of black metal. I know it can sound a little wild and counterintuitive as there’s a fair amount of overlap between some of those styles, but they take just enough from each, pack it up with conviction and deliver it in a way that feels fresh.
No One Is Coming To Save Us retains the same fire and brimstone aesthetic, and fires off the same desolate and barren vibe that we’re used to see oozing through the bone crunching riffs and the gatling cannon drums. What’s noticeably different now compared to previous material, is the fact that now they weren’t in a hurry to slam us with an ultra high octane blitz of savagery in a short time frame. No One Is Coming To Save Us is noticeably longer than its predecessors and it makes a point of creating a lot of atmosphere around the usual carnage, which makes it feel much more immersive.
Slow and sparse passages make for great contrast next to the heavy hitting stuff and we also get a great variety in terms of tempo even between the heavier stuff. That balances things out in a way that works in the favor of the material and the listener. Instead of being brick walled right out the gate with a relentless assault, you not only get to breathe a bit in between, but have a sense of recalibrating. It’s not a direction I expected for the band to head in and I probably would have not been immediately sold on it when presented on paper, but it works extremely well.
It also showcases the fact that the band really understands dynamics and diversity, knowing how to leverage that into amplifying their output. Maybe the best example to showcase all of this is the closing track, “Agni Kai”. An almost 8 minute long epic, mowing through the motions across a surprisingly lively soundscape. I think it’s not only a great way to wrap up the album, but also an outstandingly coherent summary of where the band is at now and what they’re going for.
My favorite feature of Burner, the rolling, groovy riffs, and the absolutely menacing chainsaw like HM-2 based guitar tone is right where it has to be, kicking as hard as it can. This was actually the main thing that drew me to them when I first ran into their tunes. That characteristic blended together with so many stylistic influences from the hardcore influenced areas of metal makes for a killer combo. I think that particularly the guitar tones stand out, compared to many other bands, especially on No One Is Coming To Save Us. They are gritty enough to launch a proper bite, but polished enough so it doesn’t turn to incomprehensible mush.
Speaking of sound quality, I didn’t find myself distinctly blown away with the production of the record, however, it’s cohesive enough and stands as an apt enough complement to the character of the music that’s being blasted. Though I do have to add that for this area of music, the production is well above average, so ultimately it’s a win, even if not in absolute terms.
No One Is Coming To Save Us might not have the immediate dopamine hit of the raw aggression of A Vision of The End or It All Returns to Nothing, but it’s not what it seems to be going for, and that’s totally cool. I think that the expansion in terms of texture, atmosphere, and pacing are a welcome change within Burner’s framework and I hope they pursue this further. I think it opens the door to the potential of greater songwriting depth which goes beyond a two dimensional illustration of this kind of sonic anger. I fuck with that and I fuck with No One Is Coming To Save Us too.
