nairobi’s metalcore septet last year’s tragedy tears it up on their new ep ‘challenge accepted’ #soundcheck

Metalcore septet Last Year’s Tragedy continues to prove themselves one of the most badass bands to come out of the vibrant Nairobi scene. Their latest EP Challenge Accepted was released to coincide with the Nairobi Rock Fest this past weekend.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

The ambitious EP adds a layer of synth and even some triumphant metal riffs into the sludge. The dueling vocals of lead singer Chinzi and guitarist Diallo adds a post-hardcore sound to the proceedings, particularly on the stand-out “Elephant In The Room.” The word epic gets thrown around a lot, and is probably completely overused (uh, sorry…), but the synth-laden breakdowns on tracks like “Challenge Accepted” are about as Homeric as it gets (hey look! A thesaurus!). But creating a soundtrack to the larger-than-life is about right for a band who describes their humble goal as “to inspire mankind to embrace and accept self enlightenment in order to attain a higher level of consciousness and create a pure, real, selfless positive society.”

Metal is far too often used to convey frustration with the way things are; a desire to destroy. But it ends there. It’s rare for a band this heavy to look past that destructive impulse and hope to create something better in its place. That’s what makes Last Year’s Tragedy stand out. That and their music. Mostly their music.