Review by TheOneNeverSeen on February 21, 2023.

While I’m not a fan of deathcore, I always appreciate experiments and blending of various genres, which is why I think Scars Of Oblivion’s debut full-length composed of previously released songs, although far from perfect and at times unimpressive, is an interesting work reflecting the band members high potential.

The album’s sound is closer to metalcore than to anything else. The guitars are clean, although a bit heavier than they normally are in metalcore, the rather simple drumming with sporadic blast beats replacing the prevailing identical patterns also sound as if they escaped from a prominent metalcore band’s work. The only purely deathcore element in my opinion is the vocals, which, despite being solid, at times sound way more piercing than necessary and in those instances are rather annoying. Generally speaking, the sound is fine, but not outstanding.

The song structure, if not counting the band’s experiments such as the awkward intro of 'Industrial Humanity' or the development of 'The Last Breath' is most similar to the one of The Black Dahlia Murder. 'Fallen In Vain' and 'Misanthropy', for example, could’ve easily been a part of "Everblack" with Trevor on vocals and a slightly different mix. However, the band doesn’t copy TBDM’s style all the time, which is good.

Now let’s dissect the actual music. The band clearly is capable of writing good, although not immensely original or complex melodies, such as the main riff of 'The Last Breath' or the 1:04 part of 'Blood Bath'. The solos aren’t bad, either, the ones of 'Supremacy' and 'Industrial Humanity' are highly enjoyable. Some experiments, like 'Industrial Humanity' with its solo and breakdown not fitting each other at all, definitely failed. Some, like 'Supremacy' and 'The Sacred Lie' with their powerful and catchy melodies were successful. However, even though the record is very inconsistent, I will give Scars Of Oblivion credit for having this much diversity on it.

One thing I will harshly criticize about the album is its lyrics. The lyrical themes of rebellion and anti-religion of 'Industrial Humanity' and 'The Sacred Lie', respectively, have been exploited for ages and it’s no surprise that the band failed to present them in a new and interesting way. However, even when the band does try to be more creative with its lyrical theme choices, it fails miserably. Just look at how terribly the story of Elizabeth Báthory was explored in 'Blood Bath'. The lyrics of that song might be among the weakest attempts I have seen at telling an actually creepy story. The pretentious 'The Last Breath' and 'Fallen In Vain' are also examples of poor songwriting. The only OK songs in terms of the lyrics are 'Supremacy' and 'Misanthropy', even though they also feel overly pretentious and unoriginal.

To wrap up, Misanthropy is, for the most part, a quite solid album. It has a few bangers ('The Last Breath', 'Supremacy', 'The Sacred Lie') and even when the songs are less interesting ('Blood Bath', 'Industrial Humanity'), they do contain some well-written parts. I hope the band keeps showing creativity on their later records and doesn’t mimic TBDM’s style too much, because, while it allows them easily write cool songs like 'Fallen In Vain' and 'Misanthropy', it makes the music much less original. Also, I wish Marcos Gandía, who, apparently, was responsible for the lyrics, improves his writing skills, since for now the lyrics are the weakest element of Scars Of Oblivion’s music.

Rating: 7 out of 10