Review by Maverick on January 21, 2024.

Before I jump in, let me break it to you -- blackened deathcore is not a thing, and this is not blackened deathcore, this is symphonic deathcore. Nothing more, nothing less. Right? Well yeah, this album is almost flawless, but let me start going through the reasons I gave this score. This is by no means on the same level as Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, or any of the throw-away deathcore names. Rather, it is a technical-melodic onslaught of death metal riffs, and pristine hardcore breakdowns -- comparable to bands like Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

First, the riffing is pretty consistent. It utilizes melodic and technical death metal riffs throughout. This is complemented by the breakdowns which define the deathcore sound. Of course, it doesn't contain a generic Parkway Drive riffing that one finds in their earlier releases. The riffs are pretty "happy," in that it is speedy and melodic. The technicality is not that mathematic, which is what bands like the earlier Crimson Armada do. It's pretty neat. There's nothing more to say than that.

Second, the drumming goes along nicely with the guitar. Speedy blast beats reminiscent of technical deathcore and maybe even grindcore. It's amazing to think that it is not a drum machine. I know that bands like this try imitating black metal drumming, if there is ever black metal drumming in this album, let me say that's drowned out by generic extreme metal pummelling that permeates the album. It's either too fast or only subtly imitates black metal drumming. The blast beats are not quite what one hears on a Marduk, Crimson Moonlight or Morkera album; although it tries to get there. What I would say, is that, if it is intentional or not, this band should probably not try going in that direction. They pull off a sound that sounds like the melo-death drumming of Bloodshot Dawn, but conclusively it is only generally extreme metal in terms of the drumming.

Third, the symphonies are pretty good. It does not sound like a dungeon synth delivery (which few bands can pull off anyway), or even other so-called blackened deathcore bands like Winds Of Plague. It does not even sound like Dimmu Borgir, at least not in a holistic sense. The symphonies serve as powerful intros to songs, like in 'Cursed To Die' and 'Sun//Eater'. Those were beautifully executed, it was tasteful.

Fourth, the vocals are pretty cool. Contrary to most in the extreme metal scene, I do like pig squeals and deathcore vocals in general. This album particularly reminded me of Carnifex's 2023 release "Necromanteum." The vocals are simply standard deathcore vocals.

As a whole, the album is what I would call epic symphonic deathcore. Although the band does capture the feel of symphonic black metal, I think that to compare it to any blackened offering would be to do a disservice to the band. It is a beautiful combination of extreme metal, hardcore, and symphonies. The intensity of this album is unmatched. It is a masterpiece. It is not a perfect album, but it probably comes close to it.

For fans of Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

Rating: 9 out of 10