TOTAL BUZZKILL: the start of something beautiful ALBUM REVIEW

Kirsty Shepherd
May 17
6 min read

Following the five song no skips EP "Chemical Station" in May 2023, Total Buzzkill are back with their first full length album “The start of something beautiful.” The band released a

whopping five singles from the album including “The matriarch” in April 2024, “Underdogs” in August 2024, “Wolves” in November 2024, “False Hopes” in January 2025 and last but definitely not least, “Empty Words” on April 9th.

Total Buzzkill are an up and coming, and in my personal opinion, one to watch Metalcore band from Northern Rivers, NSW / Brisbane and formed in 2020. To call them a Metalcore band seems extremely restrictive of the type of music they produce, allowing you to easily slip from metal, to hard rock, to hardcore to punk within their discography. The boys have a musical range that is so versatile, and continually evolving to the point it is nearly impossible to find a skip-able song within their whole discography. I could honestly talk about each song for hours, so I will blast through them pretty quickly.

"the start of something beautiful" begins with "monsters", a 1 minute 49 second pleading call for connection and love. “You say that I'm not good enough,

I’m just a person that you never knew,Even if i always knew, you

You fade away, You never wanted this,

I watched you turn into the things i missed

Please stay, don’t leave me to do this by myself.” the use of strained and rasping scream, distorted guitar and silence filled with nothing but a heart beat will have you in your feelings of any abandonment issues you have. the stripped down instrumentals at the beginning makes it feel like a call out into the universe before unravelling into the despair.

next we are into "underdogs". this is the sing-a-long anthem for the down trodden who are fighting their way back to the top. the guitars and drums in this song keep the energy high and make you feel like you are being pulled upwards towards the light as "I’ll rise from the ashes and meet you there". this song will have you screaming along with lines like "We are the kings, we are the queens" and "I will always be the King of the underdogs, wait and see", it is the perfect song to have you on your feet and banging that head.

third up, "wolves". "These wolves, they come to rip us to shreds and they will rip your heart right from your chest"This is a classic melodic metalcore song for the playlist, with heavier vocals, guitars and drums, more synth and darker themes lyrically. "I want to make you sweat, i’ll make you beg for it, their eyes you can’t forget, when you lay your head to rest", the song has an overall ominous and somewhat threatening tone to it that will have you on the edge of your seat.

have you ever been "the villain" in someone else's story? the tempo shifts throughout this song are so smooth. without giving too much away, there is an excellent electro break which moves into a building chant and then into a breakdown; "Shut up, shut up, this is what you came for, wake up, wake up, this is what you paid for, get up, get up, devil’s at the front door, pray for yourself and watch the world break, BITCH!". if you are a fan of I prevail, this is definitely a song for you. "No gods can save us now, my heart keeps killin’ i'm not your villain".

Fifth, we have the "love ballad" of the album "heartbeat". "And the stars that shine at night only shine brightest for us, take my hand, hold it tight,we won’t give up without a fight,i know it’s tough but it’s alright but follow the lights that guide you home to me". The musicality of this song is left light, letting the soft vocals shine, the tempo shift in the late section of the song serves as a call to a lover who is no longer there. "I see your smile in my dreams, come back to me". there is an interesting effect used on the vocals periodically throughout the song which drives that loss of love home.

"dopamine" is the Angry anthem for anyone who has ever been cheated on. "F**k all these chemicals, they just seem irrational, It’s always physicals, even when we had it all." The music takes you from trying to figure out what happened, to the anger of the situation, back to wondering why, then losing it to the rage of the heartbreak. the beginning is Almost conversational like he is talking himself through the situation. "And the knife keeps cutting, everything's so different, see it all go by in an instant, how did i go blind and miss this, now my hearts on fire,and the light starts to fade, now i hearing all the whispers". The instruments progressively get heavier throughout the song and give a filthy breakdown with screeching guitars, before ending with some synth that makes it feel like you are going through an acceptance of some sort, so the healing can begin.

next up you have 1 minute and 18 seconds of palate cleansing for your ears with "Horizons". the mostly drum pad and synths instrumental piece is a nice break from the turmoil experienced so far. while the break is short lived, it is by no means under-appreciated. with this song stating "and so it begins", this will be the perfect entrance for the stage. it builds tension with the somewhat sci-fi tonnes and modified mandalin type noises in the background.

you are immediately pulled back into chaos

with the heaviest and most vocally diverse song on the album, "False Hopes". "i'll watch you ba****ds bleed, so come and give it to me". false Hopes has an overall hardcore feel to the song, however, it accompanies that with a face melting 11 second tunnel, hard hitting drums, a fun bass line and energetic guitars. "now we're all just a big disgrace, now pull out their tongues and rip off their eyelids." this song was definitely designed for the pit in mind. The breakdown alone will have you pulling out your best stank face.

"the matriarch" was made for the Australian horror film by the same name, which is a story where "A thirteen year old girl kills her addict mother's boyfriend in self defence, and is subsequently terrorised by her own mother" - imdb. this song hits different, not only musically, but the whole time you listen it sits heavy in your chest. at times, with the drum beat you get a feeling of being chased, along with a rhythm and whirring from the guitars that keep you on edge. the animatronic effect used occasionally over the vocals, the primal breathing and aggressive tonnes and the style of vocals used for the line "and yet it pulls me down so it can break me" has such a John Jarratt of wolf Creek flavour that it honestly had me creeped out the whole time. "I’ll hold my breath if I want to, I’ll slit your throat if I need to, I’ll hold you down while I gut you, my patience is wearing thin".

"love hate" is like a Toxic relationship that sways between pleading for the return of the partner and trying to figure out why you went there in the first place. “Baby please, baby please, will you come back to me... I tried to figure out the reasons we f**ked". this song uses interesting vocal effects, a grungy conversation element to the singing, and

consistent rhythm on the guitars to help keep the feeling of the energy low and chaotic. in the last thirty seconds of the song you get a general feeling of hatred and finality to the situation. "I hate every little thing you gave me, maybe i'm just f**king crazy, there's only so much I can take, Baby please, baby please, I'm not your enemy".

last but by no means least, you will find "empty words". "empty words" takes you on a journey of “doing wrong by a loved one, family or friend, but still wanting them to love you, even though you ultimately f**ked them over. It’s a cry for wanting sympathy and forgiveness, but also acknowledging that you don’t deserve it” - TBK. the song is heart wrenching, emotional, and full of all the pain that comes along with the failure of a relationship. the hard hitting drums, synth, melodic guitars and pain striken vocals pull you through every stage of grief and acceptance that brought this song into being. "I’ve been hanging over the edge again, patiently watching the words fall from your lips, don't tell me your heart is wearing thin".

Hayes wrote a beautiful review of this song upon its release. to read her full breakdown follow the link.