Vancouver’s alt-electronic-rock powerhouse duo Asterous unleashed their highly anticipated self-titled EP on April 23rd. The standout single, ‘Heroes’, is a sublime mash of sinister tones, glassy 80s-inspired synth notes and caustic black metal vocals that break the accordance laid out by the reverb-laden animatronic female vocals.
The arresting single seamlessly shifts between spacy melodicism, comparable to the work of Depeche Mode, to industrial metal increments with buzzsaw riffs that cut with reminiscence to the likes of Static X and Rob Zombie.
The stylistic choices are one thing, but the way that Asterous pull them all together is quite another. Heroes, paradoxically, serves nuance by the bucket-full.
You can check out the EP for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.
Review by Amelia Vandergast