In the twenty-fifth episode of On The Horizon, we check out two releases from the Mexican band Afterglow, “Worn Out” and “Dissonant Echo“. The up-and-coming metalcore outfit have shown countless times that they have a passion for quality music and deserve the attention of listeners. Join us for a taste of the band’s forthcoming debut album!
Band: Afterglow (MEX)
Songs: Worn Out; Dissonant Echo
Genre: Metalcore
The backstory of “Afterglow”:
Metalcore band “Afterglow” irrupted into the metalcore scene with their 2020 singles “Ephemeral” and “Black Hole” which were placed on the top of Spotify’s Metal editorial playlists New Core, Got Djent?, Top Of The Core and New Blood along with All New Metal as well as being featured on Sirius XM Octane’s “Test Drive” and Dreambound on YouTube. The 4-piece from Mexico City are currently writing their debut album, with the first single “Like A Wave” being released in May 2022. Expect more intensity, more darkness, more layers and a different, unique sound, outside of the traditional boundaries of Metalcore. With down-tuned grooves, catchy choruses and dreamy atmospheres, Afterglow exists to cheer you up and make you feel connected, relieved that you are not alone in this journey.
Discography
Afterglow (EP) - 2020 Ephemeral (Single) - 2020 Black Hole (Single) - 2020 Existence (Single) - 2020 Drifting (Single) - 2020 Breathe In (Single) - 2020 Lost (Single) - 2021 Burning (Single) - 2021 Collapse (Single) - 2021 Like A Wave (Single) - 2022 Worn Out (Single) - 2022 Dissonant Echo (Single) - 2022
Current Line-up:
Albano - vocals Erik - guitar Mariano - bass Aruh - drums
What are the songs “Worn Out” and “Dissonant Echo” about?
“Worn Out is about the feeling of exhaustion and frustration that comes with the realization that you’re trying your best and still failing.”
“Dissonant Echo is inspired by the dissociation of the real world and our virtual lives. The hectic nature of our modern lives makes a dent in our capacity as humans to control our feelings, dominated by the dopamine rush and devoid of critical thinking. It’s a cryout for people to reflect more upon how technology has distorted our perception of the world and to not get lost in the dissonant echo of information.”
Afterglow – Worn Out
Why should ‘Worn Out’ be your song? If the never-ending, constant feeling of exhaustion and the growing anxiety is part of your everyday life, then Worn Out might be close to you, based on the lyrics alone. The song and the clip, which start with total apathy, do not mince words and tell us that we are about to be swept away by the endless tide, only to sink deeper without the possibility of any escape. The combination of the sometimes speech-like cleans and dirty vocals, the punchy riffs and the classy accompaniment of the drumming, gives us the emotional range we can have when we feel more like a washed-up rag than a human being. There is no need to panic! The ending of the song with a cool breakdown gives us a push and awakens our consciousness: it’s time to act.
What should you know about the video clip? Find out more straight from the band members!
Can you tell us about the making of the music video? What was your favourite moment? How did the final version of the clip come together?
“The video was extremely fun to record, we rented a house that’s usually used for movie and series production. It is a century old house that belonged to a wealthy man here in Mexico City, so it was full of little details and props. Our filming team (shoutout to our friends Daniel and Emilio from 515 Films) was totally on point with the takes and the editing. It was about 14 hours of filming and preparing the place, making retakes etc, pretty exhausting. The film crew went the extra mile and they stayed for 2 nights at the house to film inserts in the morning, so they spent more than 36 hours on location! I’d say our favourite moment is near the end of the breakdown, when the door opens and reveals the light. The very beginning is also pretty powerful with Albano narrating the verses in total apathy. We brainstormed the whole timeline and sketched it with pen and paper, then timestamped every scene with the final master of the song. Then we had a meeting with the video crew and explained them the whole video in advance. Once we agreed on some changes to the story, we began scouting for a filming location, and the video crew found the house. We filmed everything in one long day, then the editing was really fast as well (within 2 weeks we had a full video), We are really fortunate to work with such a professional and passionate team.”
Afterglow – “Dissonant Echo”
What makes ‘Dissonant Echo’ different? The opening is far more powerful. We get an instrumental intro, with no mercy. After that, the speech-like vocals take the starring role again, similar to Worn Out. Listening to the verse and then the chorus, you can feel the staggered nature of Dissonant Echo, if you just look at the vocals. Line by line, we reach what could be called a semi-climax like chorus. Energetic, catchy clean vocals at their best! The guitar playing is beautiful. A ton of chunky riffs, a real treat for fans of djent. Dissonant Echo is a well-balanced, beautifully composed song, with strong segments, but the atmospheric bridge and the captivating outro are my favourites, with the drum playing a more prominent role, the brilliant guitar playing highlighted earlier and the clean vocal which is the backbone of the whole finale.
What can we expect in the near future? As I have already mentioned, the guys are working relentlessly on their debut album. Two more singles are expected before the end of the year, but the band’s first live performance will also take place! What do they have in store for 2023 besides the album? We’ll find out everything next year!
Afterglow
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afterglowmx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterglowmx
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1HzcKPVciRAscPssWBFgGA
- Bandcamp: https://afterglowmx.bandcamp.com/
by: Wolfy
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