New Music Review: AVRALIZE ‘liminal’

Rating: 8 / 10 Stars

AVRALIZE is: Severin Sailer (vocals), Philipp Tenberken (guitar), Valentin Noack (bass), Bastian Gölz (drums)

REVIEW – On liminal, AVRALIZE take a confident step forward, expanding their modern metalcore foundation into something darker, moodier, and more introspective. Due out November 14th, 2025 via Arising Empire, this sophomore release doesn’t try to recreate the shockwave of FREAKS—instead, it explores the uneasy spaces between chaos and calm, aggression and reflection.

The album opens with “medicine,” immediately establishing a dense, emotionally charged atmosphere built on sharp riffs and cinematic electronics. Short interludes like “nothing here feels real” and “open spaces” act as breathers throughout the record, reinforcing the album’s fragmented, almost dissociative flow. Rather than feeling like filler, these moments help frame liminal as a complete emotional experience rather than just a collection of singles.

Tracks like “wanderlust” and “close to you” show AVRALIZE leaning into melody without sacrificing intensity. The latter, in particular, stands out with its brooding tension and restrained heaviness, proving the band understands when to pull back as much as when to strike. “cyanide” and “bite my tongue” bring the aggression back to the forefront, pairing punchy rhythms with vocals that sound genuinely unfiltered—equal parts anger and vulnerability.

Mid-album cuts like “liminal” and “helium” feel like the conceptual core of the record. Here, the band embraces a more cyber-metalcore aesthetic, blending electronic textures with tightly wound riffs. It’s effective, but also where the album occasionally feels its length. With multiple interludes and a handful of tracks circling similar emotional ground, liminal sometimes favors atmosphere over momentum.

That said, the back half regains focus. “upside down” and “like a boomerang” inject renewed energy, while closer “fading faster” leaves things unresolved in a way that feels intentional—less cathartic, more honest. AVRALIZE aren’t offering easy answers here, and that restraint works in their favor.

liminal is a strong, thoughtful follow-up that proves AVRALIZE aren’t content to stay in one lane. While it doesn’t hit with the same immediacy as FREAKS, it shows clear artistic growth and a willingness to experiment with structure, pacing, and mood. This is a band refining its identity in real time—still raw, still heavy, but increasingly self-aware. For fans of modern metalcore that values emotion as much as impact, liminal is a compelling next chapter rather than a safe repeat.