Truly one of the most impressive progressive metalcore bands of our time, Alabama’s Erra have made a name for themselves with both outstanding technicality and dynamic vocals, and that’s without mentioning the jaw-dropping vocals of Jesse Cash, whose range borders on Anthony Green levels at times. Though the band is now on their 3rd vocalist, JT Cavey proved himself adept on 2016’s breakout album Drift. He had big shoes to fill in both original vocalist Garrison Lee and Ian Eubanks, but his proficient mid-range screams and clear passion for the band he plays in is rivaled by few.
We’re going to take a somewhat deep dive into what makes this band a special entity not to be missed. Whether you’ve been a fan of the band since their Andromeda days, or got into the band after hearing “Skyline” for the first time, read on as we explore just how interesting Erra’s evolution actually is.
Erra // Andromeda (2009-2010)
On their first two EP’s, Erra cemented themselves as a band to keep an eye on, alongside other progressive metal rising stars like Volumes, Structures, and Northlane. While these two EP’s weren’t quite the fully-developed works that would later emerge on their subsequent 3 full-lengths and a 2014 EP, if you listen to impressive early tracks like “Omega Children” and “Of Rare Reform”, you can hear a lot of obvious Misery Signals and Hopesfall influences, as well as Skycamefalling and Beloved, too. Well-placed breakdowns like the one These important influences would help shape the band’s prominent melodic leads, as well as their next record…
Impulse (2011)
From the riff-heavy and strong melodic guitar leads to the moment vocalist Jesse Cash absolutely rises to the occasion with emotive and genuinely jaw-dropping singing, Erra’s debut full-length gets off to a roaring start. It was on this track especially, as well as equally exceptional album closer “Render The Void”, which plays to all of Erra’s strengths. “The Architect” carries the same effect, and what’s really stunning about Impulse is just how much Erra manages to pack into just around 4 minutes a song.
Augment (2013)
Much like the album title itself, everything on Augment is Erra improved tenfold. This may seem like a stretch, considering how good of a debut Impulse was, but it’s true. Listen to the way that, on album closer “Dementia”, the band delivers in epic fashion with a genuinely life-affirming 7+ minute album closer that just feels monumental. The song manages to have two halves – the first half being a more standard Erra track – and the second half contains a jaw-dropping guitar solo and outro that makes almost any other band in the genre look foolish by comparison. Augment has other moments, like “Ultraviolet”, that rank among the band’s best overall songs – and that’s not mentioning the first half of the record, which is nearly-unbeatable in the pantheon of current bands playing progressive metalcore.
Moments Of Clarity EP (2014)
While a generally safe and above-average EP, Moments Of Clarity showcases Ian Eubanks’ debut on vocals, and while he was with Erra for just this EP, he puts on a consistently solid performance all around. While these 5 tracks aren’t necessarily incredible songs, the EP still has moments like “Lights City”, which, with its bright melodic lead, wouldn’t sound out of place on Augment. 5-minute album opener “Dreamcatcher” works well, too, as a sort of midpoint between Augment and their next album.
Drift (2016)
Erra didn’t miss a beat as ex-Texas In July vocalist JT Cavey joined the fold for Drift. While the album isn’t really heavy like their previous work (a greater reliance on melodic singing), that’s not a band thing. At times, certain tracks genuinely bring to mind a heavier Saosin (the title track, “Orchid”), which really speaks to the band’s crossover appeal. This isn’t to say Drift is completely devoid of heavier moments, though – album closer “The Hypnotist” is the band’s typical epic, while “Continuum”‘s first 30 seconds (and the whole song, really) rival bands like The Contortionist in terms of songcraft and skill. Seriously, that song wouldn’t be out of place on Exoplanet or Intrinsic.
