I gave Lorna Shore's 2022 album an 8, as I noted they were good at what they do, but it did not resonate with me. A few minutes into this one, and I can hear where it is heading in a similar direction. The arrangement to the opening track is more chaotic, but they have a big, sometimes orchestral sound that gives the feel of a metalcore band trying to cosplay as Dimmu Borgir. Will Ramos throws his voice around in a manner that can be a bit annoying. I think the lower death metal voice is more his forte, but these guys are building off a brand.
It is produced in a manner that sounds heavy, and is played in a manner that sounds heavy, but so far, it does not feel heavy. I think the pristine production has sterilized some of the heaviness out of this album, as it is without a doubt overproduced. The blackened elements of their sound feel like it's something they like but is not a part of who they are as people. I do appreciate that "Oblivion" has more atmosphere as it balances this song out. I think most of their songs are twice as long as they should be, and as songwriters, they need to learn how to trim their own fat.
"In Darkness" finds the orchestral elements taking a larger role, while they throw chaotic temper tantrums behind it, eventually leading to variations of a breakdown. The formula they use is on a sliding scale, still intact. It is very cinematic, but almost to a Disney level. This is even taken a step further on "Unbreakable," which is more calculated and accessible for this brand of metalcore. Though symphonic metal core is a stupid concept, as the symphonic element negates the hard-core part of the metal-core equation. Though the band wil surely insist they are beyond labels and sub-genres. 'Glenwood" makes it clear what the problem is. The melody created but the sweeping guitar lines and symphonies is trying to be epic, and it's not dark enough so it ends up sounding like a metal band trying to make music for a Disney Princess parade.
"Lionheart" is more about the Disney bullshit, where " Death Can Take Me" dials that back a bit , but in doing so leaves them sounding more like your average metalcore band, though the more melodic elements this time around remind me more of Behemoth. I would rather just listen to Behemoth, as there are fewer pig noises. But it is an improvement for the Disney thing. "War Machine" has some more deliberate breakdowns like riffs that are heavy neough to understand why people like these guys. They are back to being Temu Borgir, on "A Nameless Hymn", which, if you did not know better, might fool you into thinking this was some next-level shift, but it's almost a total ripoff, like their producer asked AI to write the song for them. Despite the pace picking up to a more At the Gates speed in places, the last song is numbingly boring.
They went into the studio and made the album expected of them, dialing the symphonic elements up enough to make it feel like they are not just dialing it in. It is enough of a change to talk about in interviews, and some kids are just dumb enough to be wow'ed by the guitar solos and overproduced layers of pig squeals to not ask further questions of this band or even know what questions they should be asking.. Is this done in a professional manner that sounds polished and massive? Yes, but these guys have a ton of money invested in what they do, so of course, they are making a professional-sounding album. But it's boring, and really makes perfect sense they would pander to the press and depend on bands like Babymetal and Sleep Token as they are really just cogs in the machine , and this is business as usual, so I will give this a 6. If you want to hear what good deathcore is, give the new Internal Bleeding a listen instead; it does not have any of the Disney trappings and crushes this album.
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