Quirky but impressive metalcore outfit from Germany release their sophomore album.

Avralize are frontman Severin Sailer, guitarist Philipp Tenberken, drummer Bastian Gölz, and bassist Valentin Noack. Impressive debut album FREAKS came out in early 2024. The band describe themselves as a sonic rebellion — a call to arms for the misfits, the misunderstood, the freaks. 

Liminal is a thoroughly modern metal album which is not afraid to splice genres in many different combinations. Some tracks are more what you would expect from a metalcore album, other tracks veer close to the metal and R and B approach that has served Sleep Token so well in recent years. At times, it is nearly pure unrestrained pop music. Opening track ‘medicine’ sets the scene well with a late 80s/early 90s rave inspired keyboard intro leading into a poppier track undercut by brief moments of screamed vocals.

‘wanderlust’ keeps the tempo high. ‘close to you’ is a really emotive track with a strong chorus. Title track ‘liminal’ starts more traditionally metal but again finds space for a more sweetly sung counterpoint.

‘helium’ threatens to be the most abrasive track on the album but even here, instead of going full Knocked Loose, there is still a melodic element to reign it in. This band like their noise, but they have strongly mainstream sensibilities that could well propel them onto much bigger things.

This is not a long album but it is a huge amount of fun. This band understand pop and metal equally well and throw these sides together in interesting combinations.