Initiate return with an EP that dives further into alt-metal influence while maintaining their high-energy hardcore sound on With Love // With Rage.
Release date: August 7, 2026 | Blue Grape Music | Instagram | Bandcamp
People have a tendency to think in binaries. It feels natural to say if something is one thing then it isn’t another thing. We categorize and pigeonhole and discuss specificities of why the taxonomy goes this way, why gender or sexuality must conform to binary modes of thinking, why genre labels fit certain sounds, or why they don’t matter. I don’t think of ‘human nature’ often, because (like the term ‘common sense’) it is often used to justify the specific modes of thought of a dominant culture or ideology serving as a hand-waving end of discussion to any ideas that challenge reductionist viewpoints. I do think there is something natural, or at least frequently semiotic, about categorization and labeling. Without simplistic representations of things, feelings, concepts etc., any shared language starts to fall apart. Then you get older and wiser and realize that what you once thought were simple, indisputable definitions become more hazy and undefined the more people employ them. Everything is complicated, often on a spectrum, and far more nuanced than what most people realize.
As it is with Initiate‘s latest EP With Love // With Rage. The Los Angeles hardcore act pits these seemingly conflicting ideas against each other while further exploring the sounds of 2023’s Cerebral Circus. That was the first record I heard from Initiate, and it was only last year when I came around to the party. Cerebral Circus hooked me with the band’s excellent riffs and energy tempered by their penchant for less abrasive sonics, flirting with alt-rock tones, and the occasional acoustic guitar or cleanly sung chorus. So, I have been keeping an eye out for a follow-up. Unfortunately, With Love // With Rage is a sub-15-minute EP, but Cerebral Circus is only about 8 minutes longer, anyway. I’ll take it.
Rage and anger are, of course, steadfast fixtures of hardcore, and “Burn After Reading” opens the record with a searing, yet melancholic break-up letter of a song that employs melodic, almost shoegaze-adjacent guitar melodies over the rhythm section and alongside singer Crystal Pak’s ferocious vocals. While the band has always had a knack for pop-oriented song structures, they have definitely ramped things up with this EP, and the smooth and even transitions on display here make the track feel buoyant and upbeat despite the clear, visceral hardcore tones. “Delusions” similarly carries a mastery of form, albeit on the ragey side of the equation, complete with a bass-driven breakdown that leads to my favorite line on the EP, ‘they say always forgive but never forget/how can I forgive those who don’t repent?‘ The shades of alt-metal and post-hardcore on this song are perfect catalysts for rage on display.
“Shadowboxing”, conversely, takes a darker mood and slower approach dealing with the never-ending battle of dark thoughts that I’m sure many of us are grappling with as dystopia unfolds before our eyes. Lead single, “Numb The Pain”, offers a glimpse of alt-metal gone hardcore as something of an antidote. This track seems to answer the question, ‘what if Evanescense was actually badass?‘ with its distinct nu-metal crunch, strumming acoustic guitars, and cleanly sung bridge. Unlike anything Amy Lee or most other nu-metal/alt-metal acts have ever achieved, this track does make me want to rock out in the pit. “Future Saving Grace” follows suit with even prettier guitar licks and the inclusion of piano all while maintaining Initiate‘s distinct hardcore flavor.
With Love // With Rage was clearly made with both emotions in mind, at once searing and snarling while displaying moments of positivity and redemption all delivered with a deep care and craft for the music. For all of the hardcore in recent years that has taken a turn to more radio friendly tones, Initiate have managed to find that sweet spot that could make them a true crossover act that still appeals to their longtime fans. This brief ripper of a record may be presented as a duality, but rage is an emotion that stems from love. One has to have love for the world, for humanity, and for hardcore itself to stick the landing as well as Initiate has on With Love // With Rage, offering hope amongst a scene that can so easily slip into misanthropy and despair, and it my hope that more of this sound is on the horizon.
