REVIEW: Vicious Rain - The Anatomy Of Surviving
- Mia Gailey
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Second records often arrive under a strange kind of pressure. The debut introduces the world to a band - the follow-up decides whether that impact was momentum or moment. For Swiss metalcore outfit VICIOUS RAIN, The Anatomy Of Surviving feels less like a reaction to expectation and more like a natural expansion of everything that made their debut so compelling. Heavier in places, darker in tone, and emotionally more exposed, the record pushes the band further into the psychological territory they only began to explore before.
Released via Arising Empire, the album builds on the foundation laid by There Is Beauty In Letting Go, the band’s debut that first positioned them as one of the more emotionally resonant voices in modern European metalcore. Where that record introduced the balance between crushing breakdowns and vulnerable introspection, The Anatomy Of Surviving sharpens that contrast - digging deeper into themes of trauma, healing, and the relentless process of learning how to exist after the storm.
Opening track The Anatomy Of Surviving wastes no time establishing that shift in tone. Cinematic ambience builds slowly before the guitars crash in with the kind of controlled aggression that has become a signature of the band’s sound. It’s heavy, but not just for the sake of it. Every breakdown feels tethered to the emotional gravity of the lyrics, a sonic reflection of the internal battles the record explores. That balance between devastation and clarity becomes one of the album’s greatest strengths. On Gods Of Glass & Wire, razor-sharp riffs collide with towering melodic choruses, while A Spotless Mind leans into atmosphere, layering shimmering guitar textures over a rhythm section that pulses with restrained urgency. There’s a careful sense of pacing throughout the record - moments of crushing intensity offset by stretches of fragile calm.
Metalcore has always thrived on emotional extremity, but what separates Vicious Rain from many of their peers is how deliberately they shape that emotional narrative. The band’s sound exists in a space somewhere between the melodic dynamism of ANNISOKAY, the relentless heaviness of PALEFACE SWISS, and the anthemic precision of BURY TOMORROW - yet the result never feels derivative. Instead, The Anatomy Of Surviving feels intensely personal. Silent Therapy is one of the record’s most striking moments. Built around spacious instrumentation and haunting melodic lines, the track explores the quiet exhaustion of internal struggle - the kind that exists long before it ever becomes visible to the outside world. When the guitars finally erupt into a towering breakdown, it feels less like aggression and more like release.
Then comes Trading Hearts, arguably the album’s emotional centrepiece. The track leans heavily into melody, allowing the vocals to carry much of the weight as it navigates themes of vulnerability and emotional dependency. It’s the kind of song that demonstrates how metalcore has evolved beyond pure heaviness, embracing nuance without losing its edge. Of course, the band still know exactly how to hit with full force. Spitting Blood Again delivers some of the album’s most punishing moments, driven by churning riffs and relentless rhythmic momentum. It’s the record’s most visceral track - raw, furious, and unapologetically heavy.
Red Noise follows with a darker, more industrial-tinged atmosphere, its pulsing electronics and dense guitar layers creating an almost suffocating sonic landscape. It’s here that the band’s willingness to expand their sonic palette becomes most apparent, proving they’re not afraid to push beyond the boundaries of traditional metalcore structure. The penultimate track IKIGAI introduces one of the album’s most intriguing emotional shifts. Drawing its title from the Japanese concept of purpose and reason for being, the song balances despair with fragile hope. The instrumentation gradually lifts, trading crushing weight for soaring melodic lines that hint at something brighter beyond the chaos.
By the time Intertwined closes the album, that sense of emotional resolution begins to take shape. It’s not a triumphant ending in the traditional sense - there’s still tension in the music, still scars in the lyrics - but there’s also a quiet sense of resilience threaded throughout the final moments. And that’s ultimately what makes The Anatomy Of Surviving resonate.
This isn’t an album about conquering pain or pretending it disappears. It’s about learning how to exist alongside it. The record moves through anxiety, trauma, identity and healing with a rare level of honesty, transforming those struggles into something communal rather than isolating. In a genre often defined by volume and aggression, VICIOUS RAIN remind us that vulnerability can be just as powerful. With The Anatomy Of Surviving, the band don’t just build on the promise of their debut - they refine it, sharpen it, and push it somewhere deeper.
Not just heavier.
More human.
Score: 7/10
The Anatomy Of Surviving will be released on Friday 13th March via Arising Empire.
Words: Mia Gailey
Photos: Vicious Rain
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