After more than a decade away, Attack Attack! return with II, their first full-length album since the early 2010s and the first with a largely rebuilt lineup. Drummer Andrew Wetzel remains the sole original member, making this both a continuation and a reinvention. For longtime fans, II is inevitably a nostalgia trip: a reminder of the band’s infamous blend of metalcore breakdowns, EDM flourishes, and tongue-in-cheek absurdity. But it’s also an attempt to update that formula for 2020s ears, balancing modern production polish with playful chaos. The results are mixed—sometimes fun, sometimes forgettable, but always unmistakably Attack Attack!.
The record kicks off with “One Hit Wonder,” which functions almost like a mission statement. A synth-drenched intro gives way to chunky grooves, half-shouted verses, and a big, clean chorus. It’s the band’s classic template condensed into one track: heavy riffs, catchy hooks, and just enough bounce to get bodies moving. While it captures the essence of what made the band scene-defining, it also hints at the tension running through II: how much to lean on nostalgia, and how much to experiment.
Tracks like “Dance!” and “Chainless” lean heavily on EDM-meets-metalcore, but they come off too polished, almost sterile. The riffs are thick and the screams hit hard, but the choruses float by without impact. For a band once known for their chaotic unpredictability—remember “Stick Stickly” and the rise of Crabcore—these moments feel safe, closer to radio-ready Octane-core than to the reckless Attack Attack! spirit.
Where the album shines is in its willingness to get weird. “Walk on Water” introduces a surprising country-pop inflection in the guest vocals, pushing the band into genre-blending territory that actually works. “Karmageddon” and “Live, Love, & Die” double down on synths and big riffs, bringing back that mix of over-the-top heaviness and electronic eccentricity that gave the band their identity in the first place. And then there’s the standout “i complain on r/metalcore,” arguably the most Attack Attack! track on the record. With its autotune-soaked swagger, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about fans demanding “the old sound,” and a crushing breakdown, it perfectly encapsulates the band’s ability to laugh at themselves while still delivering the goods.
The back half of the record loosens up and embraces silliness more openly. “Big Booty Britches” is ridiculous but undeniably fun, packed with dense layers and playful energy. “Without You” veers fully into EDM-pop territory, sounding more like The Chainsmokers than a metalcore band—but weirdly, it fits in their catalog as another left-field swing. Unfortunately, not everything lands: “Sacrifice” and “Jump Jump!” rely on familiar breakdowns and grooves but lack creativity, feeling more like filler than highlights.
At its core, II succeeds most when Attack Attack! stop trying to play it straight and lean into what always made them unique: self-awareness, absurdity, and chaos. When they embrace their identity as the internet’s most polarizing, meme-fueled metalcore band, the record becomes entertaining, even exhilarating. When they play it safe, the result is just another generic, polished “modern metalcore” release that could have come from any number of younger acts.
II is uneven but engaging—a half-nostalgia trip, half-reinvention. It doesn’t quite recapture the magic of their breakout era, but it proves Attack Attack! can still carve out a space in today’s heavy music scene. When the band fully commits to their weirdness, they remind us why they were impossible to ignore in the first place.
NOTABLE TRACKS:
ONE HIT WONDER
.i complain on r/metalcore
Big Booty Britches