Metalcore has the magical ability to make me completely lost; I'll get drawn in, lured by the frantic twitch of the guitars, and the often upbeat sound and passionate, raging vocals. But I know that somewhere, lurking, is the cringe-inducing transition to the "clean pretty parts". They're often pretty and Pop-like but it has the ability to completely ruin a song for me. See, I that vocal style like I like my tea: just hot enough to make your throat tingle, and downright bitter. GOT NO EGO released their new 4-song EP, "Redemption" earlier this year, and I must say, GOT NO EGO is a band that oozes Metalcore. Right down to one of the most Metalcore-iest Metalcore videos I've watched since I gave up on most Metalcore. First is the title track and subject of the previously mentioned music video, "Redemption". The track begins with some interesting synth "boops", interwoven with frantic, clean guitars and a really emotional roar from the vocalist, the song incorporates some interesting breakdowns. When the inevitable pretty part kicks in there is little warning, (at least upon my first listen) it was really jarring and completely lost me. I actually found the second track "Drawings" to be pretty good, it's probably my favorite on the EP. It had sort of a THURSDAY vibe to it, and the transition to the more melodic parts was clear-cut. The harmony meshed well with the rest of the song and was actually pretty damn good; my tensions about the EP eased at this point. The third song on the EP, "Clouds", used GOT NO EGO's synth harmonies to create some haunting, ghostly effects. It has some of the hardest vocals on the EP, as well as the most Pop-like harmonies I've heard this side of a 90's boy band. The final track, "Lies in Your Smile", features no clean singing but it's somehow not my favorite, which goes to show that I'm not basing it on that alone. Okay, it's my second favorite song on the EP for that very reason; the intro was also pretty great, I guess. GOT NO EGO surprised me with "Redemption"; the synth is an interesting touch, the guitar is amazing, and the breakdowns are to die for (probably because they have a robot drummer for anything but live shows). Maybe I finally got past my aversion to those clean, pretty parts. Then again, since the album is only 4 songs long, and I listened to it on repeat for hours like a sadist, it's more likely I have some kind of musical Stockholm syndrome.<