Heart In Hand - Tunnels

This track features some of my favourites in the tool-kit of the hardcore and metal producer. We've got distorted over-loud vocal screams, gang vocals and the obligatory 'gut-busting' breakdown. Some other overall observations: Tasteful use of double-kick drums (sometimes very overused), the long buildup makes use of a small break of silence (to drop harder), use of some odd-time signatures.

The large buildup section of this track features some production I thought noteworthy. It's 16 bars in length which means an effort to maintain interest and build intensity.
-Doubled vocals panned alternately left and right (in second 8 bars).
-Changing in subdivision halfway through by the drums.

It's all about breakdown rhythm supremacy! 
Let's begin at the end for once; with that complicated 'breakdown' outro. It's cued up (very important in this music) with a short soloing of the guitar part. Essentially this cue acts as a call to action as well as a point for contrast when second guitar, bass, and drums drop in on top of it.  The rhythm is actually a mirror of the introduction but not identified on the first listen as the washy melody is absent. I count the opening two measures in 7/4 but the short breaks of silence don't comply with that. Traditionally, the breakdown has been a fairly simple section (rhythmically speaking). However, in the inherent culture of one-upmanship this has become an opportunity for bands to outdo others with increasingly complex rhythmic arrangements. We've seen loudness, speed and low-tuning as competitive elements of the genre, historically. And now, writing breakdowns as if they were a challenge for a snare drummer is a current trend, I believe. With that, Heart In Hand have done very well in this case. Leaving this section until the end is a wise choice as it would too severely interrupt the flow of the song placed anywhere else.