Echo Scale™: ★★★★☆ (4.6/5)
Love, Death, and Glitter: Welcome to the Graveyard Shift
If Halloween had a house band, Start From Scratch would be on the main stage under a full moon. Their latest single Forever On Your Grave drops right on October 31st, and it’s as haunting as it is heavy. The Glasgow-based glittercore/alt rock outfit deliver a gothic love story with thunderous drums, razor-sharp riffs, and vocals that sound like they could raise the dead or at least wake your neighbours.
This isn’t your average spooky-season novelty. It’s a proper rock single that blends melody, muscle, and a sense of macabre theatre that fits the date perfectly.
Setting the Scene: Glitter, Grunge, and Ghosts
The track wastes no time. Chunky guitars set the mood right away, locking in with a four-on-the-floor kick drum that could reanimate a cemetery. The intro quickly builds into a snare-driven lift that catapults you into the first verse, and by the time the vocals hit, you know you’re in for something bold.
Frontwoman Fennella delivers every line with fierce conviction. There’s a richness to her tone a commanding presence that channels the grit of early-2000s goth rock with a fresh, confident twist. Her delivery carries shades of Lzzy Hale and Amy Lee, but it never leans on imitation. Instead, she makes it entirely her own raw, emotional, and alive with storytelling.
The Sound: Thick, Polished, and Perfectly Haunting
The mix is balanced beautifully. The bass sits low and wide, supporting everything with a fat undercurrent that gives the song its weight. The drums are punchy without drowning out the rest tight kick, snappy snare, and toms that roll in like distant thunder. The guitars are full-bodied and saturated, with that nostalgic crunch that instantly transports you back to the golden age of Kerrang! TV and MySpace playlists.
Every layer feels intentional. Even when the band hits full power, you can still pick out every texture shimmering harmonies, tight rhythm guitar work, and that slightly eerie melodic undercurrent that nods to their glittercore label.
At 2:35, we get a proper treat: a guitar solo that’s short, sharp, and spot on. No self-indulgence here just well-phrased, tastefully executed playing that fits the track’s tone perfectly. It bridges the final section without losing energy, setting up a last chorus that hits even harder.
Vocals and Emotion: A Love Story Six Feet Deep
Lyrically, Forever On Your Grave walks that fine line between romance and obsession. It’s a tale of devotion beyond death, a gothic love story where the grave isn’t an ending it’s just a new chapter. Fennella delivers it with so much conviction that it never feels cartoonish or over the top.
There’s something deeply human underneath the theatrics: a sense of longing, of refusing to let go even when everything else fades. When she hits the chorus, you can almost picture her standing under a stormy sky, shouting into the wind. The phrasing, the vocal lifts in the pre-chorus, the way her tone swells with emotion it’s the kind of performance that turns a good song into a memorable one.
Musicianship: Tight, Dynamic, and Confident
This is a band that knows exactly what they’re doing. Every section feels thought-out, every transition smooth. The drums are well-played, the bass pumps the mix full of life, and the guitars carry both aggression and melody. That sense of dynamic control knowing when to pull back and when to explode is what separates a demo from a single.
Start From Scratch strike that balance perfectly. You can tell they’re not just writing riffs and shouting into a mic; they’re crafting songs that live and breathe on stage. The arrangement keeps your attention from start to finish it never flatlines, and the energy builds naturally toward the closing chorus, which absolutely slaps.
The Halloween Factor
Releasing this on Halloween is genius. It’s theatrical, it’s cinematic, and it plays into their aesthetic without feeling forced. The single would fit perfectly on a playlist between The Pretty Reckless and My Chemical Romance, but it also stands strong on its own merit.
And unlike a lot of holiday-timed releases, this one doesn’t rely on gimmick. If you stripped away the spooky imagery, you’d still have a killer alt-rock track that holds up any day of the year. The timing just adds that extra bit of fun like eyeliner on a bruise.
Verdict
Forever On Your Grave is the sound of a band fully finding their identity loud, unapologetic, and theatrically sincere. It’s got everything: conviction, hooks, and a bit of that Glasgow grit for good measure. The guitars snarl, the rhythm section drives, and the vocals soar.
Start From Scratch prove they’re not afraid to get a little weird, a little dark, and a whole lot loud. For a Halloween debut, it’s a statement piece. For alt rock fans, it’s one to keep on repeat.
Echo Scale™ Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.6/5)
A polished, punchy slice of glittercore brilliance and one hell of a way to haunt your playlists.
