After making a strong impression with their debut EP VUI in 2015, Vietnamese prog-metalcore group Windrunner have been relentlessly promoting themselves across Asia with tours in support of the likes of Attilla, Benighted, Emmure and Hiss From the Moat. Having earned themselves a record deal with Famined Records in 2018, they dropped their first full-length, MAI, in late November last year.
Even in opener “Mulan”, which lasts less than 2 minutes, you’re exposed to the full range of what Windrunner bring to the table. Meshing ambient passages with chugging and technical riffs from Trung Tôn and Nam Dao, and crushing vocals from lead singer Duong Bui, it sets things up nicely for the first full track, “Oleander”, to let Windrunner really hit their stride. The dynamic shifts from aggressive metalcore chugs into soaring melodic choruses are seamless, as the band also allows their Vietnamese background to influence the songwriting with traditional Asian sounding instruments lacing the tracks. In a genre such as metalcore, which has been oversaturated and played to death for nearly 20 years now, it’s small things like this which allow for a band to stand out from the crowd.
Another thing that will really help Windrunner is the ability of Duong Bui on vocals. She shows an impressive amount of range, from your traditional metalcore screams into more guttural screams and strong, catchy clean vocals. Her occasional clean singing, such as in “Marigold”, add a pop sensibility to the tracks on MAI, creating a more accessible point for new listeners to come in, as well as creating earworms for fans to sing along to. At times, Duong’s vocals completely outshine the guest appearances of End These Days vocalist Sang Yul Song (on “Sakura”) and Earthists’ Yuto Hirabayashi (on “Orchid”), and you may not even notice their contributions unless you know they’re there. The musicians’ penchant for ambient passages created a neat contrast with the album’s more aggressive moments, and make full use of Duong’s vocal versatility while also keeping the listener engaged; neither worn out by relentless breakdowns nor left uninterested by ambient passages which outstay their welcome. Even interlude track “Dahlia”, a largely ambient track, managed to keep you interested with its unique instrumentation and continued excellent guitar work from Trung and Nam.
With that said, there are still lulls in the album. MAI’s title track is something of a dip in form in the middle of proceedings, as it doesn’t really pick things back up after the interlude. There isn’t really much wrong with the track, but as it explores the more melodic side of the band, it just lacks the punch of other tracks and may just be the wrong song in the wrong place in the overall track order. Whether it be as a consequence of this or not, the second half of the album does seem to struggle in comparison with the first half. “Cedar” does well to try to pick the momentum back up while “Lotus” closes out the album well, but this seems to be a pitfall that many metalcore bands tend to fall into. The fact that Windrunner seem to have settled into their style pretty comfortably already for a band releasing their debut album is impressive, but it also feels as though they are not particularly willing to deviate from the formula they have created for themselves. In the bigger picture they have something different which stands out from the crowd, but it would still benefit them to be able to keep listeners on their toes in future.
However, despite these problems (which are perfectly natural for a young band releasing their first full-length), Windrunner must be commended for releasing such an accomplished and mature album in MAI. If you didn’t know any better going into this album, you could be forgiven for thinking they’ve been going for a lot longer than just 4 years. The mistakes are not particularly noticeable unless you’re really looking for something to pick out, and the tracks have a lot of replay value to them. If they continue to perfect their fusion of ambience, progressive metalcore, and Asian scale melodies, they could really be one to watch in future.
Windrunner’s debut album MAI is out now via Famine Records. Stream the album below, and follow the band on Facebook.
Even in opener “Mulan”, which lasts less than 2 minutes, you’re exposed to the full range of what Windrunner bring to the table. Meshing ambient passages with chugging and technical riffs from Trung Tôn and Nam Dao, and crushing vocals from lead singer Duong Bui, it sets things up nicely for the first full track, “Oleander”, to let Windrunner really hit their stride. The dynamic shifts from aggressive metalcore chugs into soaring melodic choruses are seamless, as the band also allows their Vietnamese background to influence the songwriting with traditional Asian sounding instruments lacing the tracks. In a genre such as metalcore, which has been oversaturated and played to death for nearly 20 years now, it’s small things like this which allow for a band to stand out from the crowd.
Another thing that will really help Windrunner is the ability of Duong Bui on vocals. She shows an impressive amount of range, from your traditional metalcore screams into more guttural screams and strong, catchy clean vocals. Her occasional clean singing, such as in “Marigold”, add a pop sensibility to the tracks on MAI, creating a more accessible point for new listeners to come in, as well as creating earworms for fans to sing along to. At times, Duong’s vocals completely outshine the guest appearances of End These Days vocalist Sang Yul Song (on “Sakura”) and Earthists’ Yuto Hirabayashi (on “Orchid”), and you may not even notice their contributions unless you know they’re there. The musicians’ penchant for ambient passages created a neat contrast with the album’s more aggressive moments, and make full use of Duong’s vocal versatility while also keeping the listener engaged; neither worn out by relentless breakdowns nor left uninterested by ambient passages which outstay their welcome. Even interlude track “Dahlia”, a largely ambient track, managed to keep you interested with its unique instrumentation and continued excellent guitar work from Trung and Nam.
With that said, there are still lulls in the album. MAI’s title track is something of a dip in form in the middle of proceedings, as it doesn’t really pick things back up after the interlude. There isn’t really much wrong with the track, but as it explores the more melodic side of the band, it just lacks the punch of other tracks and may just be the wrong song in the wrong place in the overall track order. Whether it be as a consequence of this or not, the second half of the album does seem to struggle in comparison with the first half. “Cedar” does well to try to pick the momentum back up while “Lotus” closes out the album well, but this seems to be a pitfall that many metalcore bands tend to fall into. The fact that Windrunner seem to have settled into their style pretty comfortably already for a band releasing their debut album is impressive, but it also feels as though they are not particularly willing to deviate from the formula they have created for themselves. In the bigger picture they have something different which stands out from the crowd, but it would still benefit them to be able to keep listeners on their toes in future.
However, despite these problems (which are perfectly natural for a young band releasing their first full-length), Windrunner must be commended for releasing such an accomplished and mature album in MAI. If you didn’t know any better going into this album, you could be forgiven for thinking they’ve been going for a lot longer than just 4 years. The mistakes are not particularly noticeable unless you’re really looking for something to pick out, and the tracks have a lot of replay value to them. If they continue to perfect their fusion of ambience, progressive metalcore, and Asian scale melodies, they could really be one to watch in future.
Windrunner’s debut album MAI is out now via Famine Records. Stream the album below, and follow the band on Facebook.