WITHOUT GUILE CHANNEL INNER TURMOIL INTO POST-HARDCORE POWER ON “DIVERGE”

Photo by Kollina Dacko

Could a post-hardcore song about a genuinely pleasant experience actually be any good? After listening to Without Guile’s new single, “DIVERGE,” we still don't know. And frankly, we're not complaining. The Syracuse four-piece takes everything we love about post-hardcore, from emotional turmoil to aggressive instrumentation, and turns it into one hell of a three-and-a-half-minute therapy session.

While relatively new to the scene, Without Guile sounds like a band that's been doing this for years. On “DIVERGE,” they tackle a struggle most of us know all too well: figuring out how to follow your own path when everyone else has a different idea of where you should be heading. That frustration pours through the speakers as razor-sharp guitar riffs, a downright nasty rhythm section, and a soaring clean chorus that hits just as hard emotionally as it does physically.

Musically, “DIVERGE” delivers everything you'd want from a solid post-hardcore track. Gritty growls collide with passionate clean vocals, while the guitars bounce between melodic passages and full-throttle aggression. The dynamics keep things interesting, letting the heavier moments hit without sacrificing the hooks that make the song so damn catchy.

The vocal interplay has definite shades of Hawthorne Heights, with a little Shinedown creeping into the bigger melodic moments. The combination works surprisingly well, especially for a band still finding its footing.

If “DIVERGE” is any indication of where Without Guile are headed, we'd say they're choosing the right path. And judging by this track, they're not particularly interested in asking anyone for directions.