IF I DIE TODAY – I Felt Nothing

vote
7.5

• Bands:
  IF I DIE TODAY
• Duration: 00:33:47
• Available from: 06/19/2026
• Label:

• Shove Records

Among the most faithful disciples of Converge in the Italian hardcore scene, the Piedmontese If I Die Today arrive today at their fifth album, almost twenty years after the group's foundation. An important milestone, marking a continuity of action that cannot be taken for granted, in times as fragmented as the current ones. Having remained until now to fight strenuously in the international underground circuits, If I Die Today have gained authority year after year, between explosive live performances, incorruptible attitude and a musical proposal that from strictly hardcore/punk formulas has been enriched with extreme metal, sludge and a general aptitude for dark and desperate atmospheres.
With the previous “The Abyss In Silence” the current quartet had reached the peak in terms of the murkiness of their music, thanks to having dedicated themselves, on a textual level, to the themes of loss and the processing of mourning. An album therefore oriented towards various shades of gray and black, where the sludge influences came out stronger than usual, although limited in a furious and synthetic formula, as the hardcore tradition teaches.

In “I Felt Nothing” If I Die Today continue on their path, without too many lateral glances, once again crossing post-hardcore and extreme metal, for a final result in continuity with their recent past, but not stingy with emotions. The quartet confirms itself as the standard bearer of a hard, incorruptible and granitic sound, thus putting together burning songs, strong with disruptive dynamics and a good overall construction. So, going back to the opening phrase, we are in the presence of a sound clearly derived from Converge, according to the most raw, direct and concise idea of ​​the American formation; combined with this is an excellent sense of groove and liberating breakdown, according to a refined and intelligent interpretation of metalcore as Every Time I Die liked so much.
Behind the paroxysmal impact, there are many small details that make the difference when operating in such an inflated field: first of all the painstaking care for rhythms that alternate well with bold attacks and more syncopated scores, making each piece sufficiently varied and in an appreciable balance between instinctiveness and reasoning. Then there are the frequent digressions of the guitar work, a rather peculiar delving into turbidity and leaden atmospheres, which avoids both certain asphyxiated verbiage of the more stereotypical blackened hardcore, and recordings that are too unsettling compared to the general mood.

If the first listens can give the idea of ​​a rather uniform tracklist, going beyond the wall of violence displayed one can appreciate more thoughtful passages, or real openings towards more ambiguous and indecipherable atmospheres, as in “Rachel”, or even a luminous and relaxed melody, like the one that emerges during “Light”. In any case, the beating heart of “I Felt Nothing” remains aggression, expressed with partially different methods from one track to another. Sometimes echoes of a certain Swedish death metal evolving towards metalcore are heard, as in large sections of “Lungs” or in “Cowards”, elsewhere the schizophrenia of mathcore takes hold, while still avoiding complicating one's life too much.
Here and there, always looking at the guitar work, we catch some riffs that wink at hyper-vitaminized rock'n'roll forms, a bit like Cancer Bats or Kvelertak use to do: small additions, just enough to give further rhythm and liveliness to the whole. Finally, the vocal performance is brilliant, which does not settle on a monotonous singing but denotes great enthusiasm and ardor, also counting on some occasions with important guest appearances on the Italian hardcore scene, such as in the infernal duet of “Tar”, together with Santa from Infall.

“I Felt Nothing” is in our opinion the most mature and complete album among those released so far by If I Die Today: there is still room for improvement, to obtain a sound richer in personality and distinctive, something that definitively frees them from cumbersome comparisons with other more established realities. The fact remains that this fifth album of theirs can be listened to very well from the first note to the last, making it climb a further step within the international post-hardcore scene.