With Melody and Heart. 

Initiate have always had a knack for taking the aggression of hardcore and pushing it into something more vulnerable, melodic, and emotionally complicated, and With Love // With Rage feels like another step forward for the Southern California band. Formed in 2017 and fronted by Crystal Pak, Initiate have spent the last several years carving out a space somewhere between melodic hardcore, hardcore punk, post-hardcore, grunge, and alternative rock. Following releases like Before Long…, the Lavender EP, and their 2023 album Cerebral Circus, the band have developed a sound that can be aggressive without completely sacrificing melody. Now working with Blue Grape Music, With Love // With Rage feels like a record from a band that understands exactly what they want their music to sound like, even if I still think there are areas where they could push themselves considerably further.

The first thing that immediately stands out is just how big Initiate sound. The production gives the guitars, bass, drums, and vocals plenty of weight without stripping away the rawness that makes hardcore so effective. There is a real sense of space throughout the EP, and that becomes especially important because Initiate aren't simply relying on speed and aggression. Their best moments come when they allow the music to move between different emotional states.

“Burn After Reading” immediately establishes the aggressive side of the record. The tension builds before the guitars explode into fast, punk-driven riffs, with Crystal Pak's high-pitched screams cutting through the instrumentation. Her vocal delivery is undoubtedly one of the band's defining characteristics. There is a pissed-off urgency to her performance that fits the music naturally, and she never sounds like she's simply going through the motions. The problem is that this vocal approach remains relatively consistent throughout the EP, while the instrumentation underneath her becomes increasingly adventurous.

That contrast is actually one of the most interesting things about With Love // With Rage. The guitars constantly shift between aggressive hardcore, melodic passages, grungier textures, and slower atmospheric sections. “Delusions” is a great example of that. The guitars have these catchy, almost swooping movements that give the song a sense of motion, while the bass sits underneath everything with a deep, thumping presence. There's a surprisingly strong melodic instinct here, and Initiate seem much more interested in atmosphere than some of their earlier material.

The rhythm section generally does a good job supporting that approach. The bass gives the heavier sections plenty of low-end weight, while the drums keep the faster punk-influenced moments moving. However, there are occasional moments where the drumming feels slightly clunky, particularly during transitions between different sections. It doesn't ruin the songs, but it does occasionally make the changes in mood feel less natural than they probably should.

Things become much more interesting when Initiate slow down.

“Shadowboxing” introduces a softer, almost grunge-inspired atmosphere that feels considerably more vulnerable than the opening material. The guitars, bass, and drums create this deep, melancholic sound that allows the emotional side of the band to come forward. This is where I started thinking about how much more powerful Initiate could potentially become if they allowed themselves to explore this side of their identity more aggressively.

Crystal's screams are good. Really good. But the instrumentation is occasionally asking for something different.

That becomes particularly obvious on “numb the pain.” The song brings together 90s-inspired grunge, hardcore punk, and melodic elements before introducing softer vocals. And honestly, the second those softer vocals appear, I found myself thinking, this is what I wanted from this record.

Unfortunately, those vocals are mixed so quietly that they don't have nearly the emotional impact they could have had.

That's a frustrating missed opportunity because the contrast between Crystal's harsh screams and a genuinely vulnerable vocal performance could have been one of the defining elements of the EP. Instead, the softer moments almost feel like they're being treated as an experiment rather than something the band is fully willing to embrace.

And that's ultimately my biggest criticism of With Love // With Rage.

The instrumentation is constantly evolving, but the vocals don't evolve quite as much alongside it.

Crystal Pak has an incredibly recognizable scream, and that consistency gives Initiate a strong identity. However, after several songs, the screaming begins to feel somewhat one-dimensional because the music underneath it continues changing moods. There are opportunities throughout the EP for layered vocals, spoken sections, clean singing, quieter performances, or simply different levels of intensity. I don't think Initiate need to abandon their hardcore sound at all. I just think the emotional range of the instrumentation deserves a vocal performance capable of matching it.

“Future Saving Grace” is probably the clearest example of that missed potential. The song begins with distant percussion and soft, slow guitar before eventually exploding into a faster punk and indie-influenced section. The guitars constantly seem to shift emotional direction, while the rhythm section moves between restraint and aggression. There is even a slower passage later in the song featuring softer instrumentation and what sounds like piano, and once again, the music creates this feeling that something much more vulnerable is about to happen.

But then the vocals largely return to the same aggressive approach.

That's not a bad performance. It's just a performance that doesn't take advantage of everything happening around it.

And that distinction matters because With Love // With Rage isn't a boring EP. Far from it. There are plenty of interesting ideas here. The guitars have personality, the production is strong, and the band clearly understands how to create tension between melodic and aggressive sections. The problem is that I kept hearing glimpses of a great Initiate record hiding inside a very good one.

The title With Love // With Rage almost perfectly describes the tension within the music. The rage is obvious. It's in Crystal's screams, the aggressive guitar parts, the faster punk sections, and the band's hardcore foundation. But the love is there too, buried inside the melodic guitars, grungier textures, softer passages, and moments where the band allows the music to breathe.

I just wish they trusted that side of themselves more.

Production plays an important role in this as well. The record sounds clean and powerful without becoming overly polished. The guitars have enough definition to hear their different textures, the bass provides a solid low-end foundation, and the drums generally punch through the mix effectively. The vocal production is strong when Crystal is screaming, but the softer passages suffer because they aren't given enough space.

That's particularly unfortunate because the quieter moments could have provided the emotional payoff the EP occasionally seems to be building toward.

There is also something refreshing about Initiate's willingness to bring grunge and alternative influences into their version of hardcore. “Shadowboxing” and “numb the pain” demonstrate that they don't have to stay locked into the traditional melodic-hardcore formula. Those moments make the EP feel less predictable and suggest a much larger musical world for the band to explore.

The question is whether Initiate will fully step into that world.

Because they absolutely could.

The foundation is already there. The guitars are strong. The rhythm section is capable. The production is excellent. Crystal has the aggressive vocal performance down. What remains is finding ways to make the vocals communicate the same emotional variety that the instrumentation already does.

Imagine what “Burn After Reading” would feel like if the aggression eventually gave way to a vulnerable vocal passage. Imagine if the softer parts of “Shadowboxing” were pushed even further. Imagine if the quiet vocals on “numb the pain” were brought right to the front of the mix instead of sitting underneath the screams. Imagine “Future Saving Grace” allowing itself to completely fall apart emotionally before exploding back into hardcore.

That's the Initiate record I want to hear.

With Love // With Rage doesn't quite reach that level yet, but it gets close enough that I can hear the potential.

Ultimately, Initiate have created a strong and passionate EP that successfully expands their established sound without abandoning the hardcore aggression that got them here. “Burn After Reading,” “Delusions,” “Shadowboxing,” “numb the pain,” and “Future Saving Grace” all reveal different pieces of what this band can become. The guitars are memorable, the production is powerful, the bass has plenty of weight, and Crystal Pak delivers her screams with undeniable conviction.

My biggest issue is simply that the vocals don't evolve enough to match the emotional and instrumental variety happening around them.

The rage is already there.

Now I want to hear more of the love.

Initiate sound like a band standing right on the edge of something special. With Love // With Rage proves they have the aggression, musicianship, atmosphere, and emotional foundation to take another significant step forward. I just hope they become more willing to embrace the vulnerable side of their sound because, ironically, that's where I think Initiate could become the most powerful.