Pale Flag is a 5-piece metal from Auckland, New Zealand. While they are both young and very new on the scene they bring us promise for great things with their first single In This Moment.
My roots have always personally lied in the hardcore scene, so this review was both nostalgic and an insight for me of the ever-growing Metal community that New Zealand has.
The song starts with a softer, more melodic riff to introduce you to the video. Showing the band in stillness as they await their beginning which comes in full force with some impressive vocals. The softer rhythm continues underneath while the song impacts which I think gives a great demonstration of the diversity within this band's abilities. There’s no lack of flow in this song and it’s structured in a way so that each instrument has its own flourishing moment.
The story of this video begins immediately, following one man as he walks through a suburban town with a shifting presence following behind him. After a while he stops, almost defeated and conflicted by the proximity of the figure. What I take from the video is a darker voice in the back of your mind. Unable to escape the tortures of your own thoughts and feeling captive to an unknown being. It’s at the breakdown where we see what could be our man's demise but not until he swiftly turns to face the figure in black, chasing after the tortured thoughts and finding they will not fight back in the end. It is only a conjuring of his mind.
I’m reminded of early Parkway Drive and my personal favourite New Zealand metal band: Antagonist A.D. With this band on the rise and a lot of passion for their craft I believe they can reach the same status as these bands. Continuing to bring new ideas, new faces and new music into this scene is important. The metal community gave to me what I’m sure these boys are given too. A sense of belonging and a sense of release through music.
Catch Pale Flag play at Whammy Bar in Auckland, opening for Scorn of Creation on November the 1st.
Pale Flag is a metalcore/deathcore inspired band hailing from Auckland, New Zealand. Combining hard-hitting riffs and even harder-hitting breakdowns, Pale Flag delivers a full heavy sound on their records and an energetic live experience that will get everyone moshing.
Emerging into the NZ metal scene in 2018 through a humble bands competition, Pale Flag were quickly picked up by the more established metal bands of the NZ scene at the time. They went on to fulfil a relentless gigging schedule, playing on a nearly weekly basis within their first year as an active band. Pale Flag draws influence on their sound from a wide range of metal music, but specifically targets a blend between early deathcore and modern hardcore.
Releasing their first single In this Moment in 2019, quickly followed by their debut EP Emergence, Pale Flag continued on to play with notable acts coming to New Zealand. Such acts include Alphawolf, Rings of Saturn and Vulvodynia. They later released another stand alone single and music video Delusional Exhibition in 2021. All this while putting as many gigs under their belt as possible. Including flying to Australia in 2022 for their first international gig, playing in the finals of the 2022 NZ/AUS Wacken Bands competition.