It only took 4 years but here we are.
The Cornflakes is a band for which I have a special place in my heart – they were the first concert I ever attended after all (not counting the one concert I went on with my parents when I was like 6 or 7). Now it’s been about 4 years since the band’s last body of work with their breakout LP „Pomoc!“ which had some obvious mixing issues and was all around really rough around the edges, but it still showed great promise for the band, especially with tracks such as „Kazatel“ or „Neznámý Hrdina“. The rough unfiltered sound with the raw vocals, heartfelt lyrics and hard-hitting breakdowns of those tracks and many more was a formula that The Cornflakes adapted here and only went on to perfect more further down the line.
Which brings us to day – after 4 years and a few singles the band finally came out with their brand new 4-track EP „Zpověď“ – so how does this one hold up? Well right off the back I’ll at least say one thing – the 4 year wait was definitely worth it at least in the mixing department. These songs sound crisp and sharp as a rock (whatever that means – point is they sounds miles better than the ones on the band’s previous project). Now this project isn’t necessarily anything all that new to the people that have been keeping up with the band’s work since all the songs from here have already been released as singles in the last few years. They do however make up for somewhat of a cohesive experience for such a short project.
Let’s start with the opener and also the title track „Zpověď“ which opens up with this triumphant riff that immediately grabs your ear. After that the rest of the instrumentation comes crashing in and it makes for one heck of an opening act. The drums are super sharp and mix really well with the riff. The chorus is also really memorable even though it’s not my favorite off the EP (don’T worry, we’ll get there). Overall it makes for a really solid opening track even though I’m not crazy about some of the verses, but the song does pick up the tempo quite a bit towards the end which kinda balances that out for me.
The follow-up track „Milióny“ is one I really enjoyed already when it released as a single. I gotta say the part that always completely sells me on this song is the key-synth bridge leading into the chorus, that has to be like one of the most experimental moments in the band’s catalogue so far and the risk payed off big time. It sounds amazing especially when paired with the guitars and the spoken word fits the mood also quite well. Also the chorus bangs quite a lot if I do say so myself. I like this one even better than the first song, an instant classic for the band right here.
Speaking of more experimental songs… The second to last song „To Jsi Ty“ has the most gorgeous intro I’ve heard not just in the band’s discography but kinda like overall just in a while? The song’s sentiment is infectious from the moments the singing kicks in. If it wasn’t for the last song on this album, this one would easily be my favorite, even though it is kinda tied for me. I have little gripes with this one, my biggest issue is that even though the eventual heavy part of the song sounds really good on a technical level, I really think the song would have benefited from being only the softer part just by itself – I like the song regardless though, definitely another big highlight.
And look, even though the closer „Bellum Iustum“ is the oldest of the songs here, so the mix is kinda rougher than the other song on here, I still think I enjoy it about the most, mostly for nostalgia reasons, but also because the song is just an absolute unhinged banger from front to back. The singing is the rawest, the breakdown is the nastiest, overall just the perfect mosh-pit song. The mixing does still stand out on this one though, so I can’t just turn a blind eye to that. Still a banger, as good as I remember it being.
So, overall what do I think of this one? If I had to call it one thing I’d call it an improvement – it’s clear that this album is just on a whole nother level quality wise compared to the last. There are still many issues I have with it, don’t get me wrong, but for what it is, I think The Cornflakes just made a really solid EP that hopefully is a sign of what’s to come (meaning hopefully an LP, pleasibegyouguysiwroteyouareviewcomeon).
-favorite tracks: Milióny, To Jsi Ty, Bellum Iustum
-least favorite tracks: Zpověď (if I had to pick)
Light 7/10