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“DEATH 2 is a triumph for Banks Arcade. It’s a bold, innovative, and emotionally charged EP that cements their place as one of the most exciting bands in the current musical landscape” – Everblack Media

“…there’s never a dull moment throughout DEATH 2…the world has been given an amplified chance to see the true potential of this group, beyond confines and with zero external expectations hindering proceedings” – Hysteria Mag, 9/10

“There’s just not many bands who can pull this sort of shit off…it’s so clever, exciting and interesting” – The Break Down With Nath & Johnny

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Death 2 sees Melbourne self-proclaimed ‘boyband’ Banks Arcade plunge deeper into their brand of genre-blending, category-defying heavy metal across a punchy, 6 track EP. Their latest release since their full-length debut, Future Lovers (2022), sees the band delve into even heavier, darker soundscapes, certainly the heaviest the have dared to tread until now.

The result is a fittingly dark, noisy, diverse, and yet focused collection of tunes that includes the band’s best material to date. They expand on the best elements of their previous LP, while condensing them into shorter, tighter runtimes, making for a brisk listen that never really stales. The consistency is a marked improvement from previous entries into the discography, and it is certainly a highlight here.

The opener and lead single “Worship the Internet” exemplifies the creative leaps being attempted from their previous works, with its esoteric song structure and sudden switch up keeping listeners on their toes. It opens with looming, industrial guitars but immediately dives into a DnB-esque, uptempo electronic drum sequence, traversing so much ground in just the first minute of the track. It gives you every reason for this to be the favourite tune off the EP, and it certainly is mine. But throughout just about every tune on the track listing, the band barrages the listener with new ideas, which goes to show their willingness to stray from convention, and more importantly, repetition.

“More Want”, another single released ahead of the EP, is genuinely menacing throughout its first half, with pulsating fuzzy guitars and both brooding and screaming synths that thrust you right into the project’s heaviest and darkest cut. But when this suddenly gives way to a completely stripped-back section that opens with a mouth-trumpet, and playful “la-da-da-da-da-da” from vocalist Joshua O’Donnell, you get a feel for how daring the band is willing to get with these songs. It’s a pretty impressive moment, and again the blend of electronic and metal sounds here really works to make the overall sound they achieve feel so distinctive.

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The electronic influences aren’t limited to just the previously mentioned examples, they can be heard across just about the entire EP. Some are pulled off better than others, but in general the application of metal and electronic sounds is novel, invigorating and interesting. Credit is due for the mixing here, because such a blend would not be possible if not for the precise balance of electronic drum sequences and distorted guitar riffs that make tracks that teeter such a fine line like “Sentimental”, the strongest of the non-singles, work.

Vocalist and guitarist O’Donnell shows an expansive range of varied delivery across the EP, and on more than one occasion throughout the same song. Whether rapped, screamed or sang in a nasal falsetto, O’Donnell ensures that his vocals seldom remain in the same place for too long. Some of these inflections suit the band’s style better than others, but compared to previous releases in particular, O’Donnell’s vocals are much more compelling. The other single, the closer “Change” might be the strongest in this regard, and it makes a similarly strong case for being the tightest in terms of writing too.

While the songwriting on the rest of the EP is certainly not the project’s selling point, it never really takes away from the project’s strengths. Consistently dark, morbid and violent, but occasionally unfocused, and never looking beyond the surface of the subjects it flirts with; I do think the lyrical content would enjoy being as varied and diverse as the production. The example of “Change” mentioned before stands out along with “Roulette” with their clear subject matter, but I singled out the former earlier due to it having the strongest hook on the track list.

Lyrics aside, the band condense their high-energy, genre amalgamating brand onto six songs that together form easily their best project since their first major success, the Fever Dreams (2020) EP which included the popular singles “Sick” and “Drown”. They may be far from the only Aussie band that have played or are playing with metal and mixing it with other genres; remember, just last year King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard dropped a phenomenal jam-band prog-metal full length LP. And yes, it is fitting that they will take these songs on tour with the acclaimed Northlane in February, a band who have also played and experimented with their very own blend of metal and electronic. Banks Arcade can and should, however, know that they have forged something entirely theirs with Death 2. The sound throughout the EP is fresh and exciting, and while they have left room to grow, this is a great step forward in what promises to be a journey to watch closely.

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DEATH 2 EP – OUT NOW
HERE

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BANKS ARCADE
Upcoming Shows

Supporting

NORTHLANE
THE DANTE TOUR

with ERRA & LANDMVRKS

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2024 – THE FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE
SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2024 – ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2024 – FORUM, MELBOURNE SOLD OUT
THURSDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2024 – FORUM, MELBOURNE
FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2024 – HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE
SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2024 – METRO CITY, PERTH

Tickets from northlaneband.com

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Follow BANKS ARCADE

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Press Release 2nd February 2024 (below) HERE

BANKS ARCADE
release new EP
DEATH 2
Out Today

+ Band shares
exhilarating new video
ROULETTE

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AMNPLIFY – DB