For this small marathon of deathcore releases to listen to and review, I saved the most brutal one for last. I don't know anyone who has confused this band with Within Temptation because of that name, but it's good that no one has, because they're complete polar opposites. There's no female-vocal symphonic metal here, only brutal slam-infused deathcore. Actually a full-on combination of Within Destruction and Within Temptation's styles would be something in the age of symphonic deathcore. Anyway...

Back then, Within Destruction wasn't the anime-influenced nu metal/deathcore (animetal) band that they would eventually be. In Deathwish, they were really digging deep into the depths of Hell to unleash deadly brutality. And this was around the time Mental Cruelty was doing that as well before their symphonic blackened deathcore direction.

The intro track "External Interference" is just an audio sample where some guy mentions alien invasions that he supposedly found. Interesting setup but skippable. The title track crashes in with guest vocals by Duncan Bentley (Xavleg, Vuvlodynia). And no matter the brutality, the production sounds clearer than other underground extreme metal albums. "False Revelation" follows more typical leads and rhythms in the deathcore genre. Same with "Extinction", but they're all still great.

Occasional leads help balance out the monstrous grooves in "Torture Ritual". The more feral vocals in "Human Defect" are so beastly, in part due to the guest appearance by Infant Annihilator's Dickie Allen. "Downfall of Humanity" exemplifies their sound the best, including an apocalyptic breakdown midway throuh.

That breakdown is nothing compared to that of "Darkness Swallows Life". That and the drums there would f***ing peel you down layer by layer then stitch you back up. "Self Hatred" is more straight with catchy yet heavy riffs, leads, and atmosphere. The soloing is also quite interesting. "Death Awaits Us All" is the 5-minute epic with some great variation. As far as their later sound would go, that one's pretty close. The outro "HMR45" ends the album with a more robotic audio sample.

Deathwish is one of the most extreme deathcore albums I've heard to have clear production. Although I'm quite used to the more muddy albums out there, here things are so polished that it's like I'm in the studio witnessing them record. And it's quite well-written too! Though will it make me a new fan of the band? I'll go with possibly....

Favorites: "Deathwish", "Human Defect", "Downfall of Humanity", "Darkness Swallows Life", "Death Awaits Us All"

Continuing the trend of nu-infused deathcore is Left to Suffer, which is a new band to me as well. I've really only heard one song from this band, which also happens to be in this album, so we'll talk about that when we get there. The band was formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2019 and have since released 3 albums, with some songs having guest vocalists from bands like Lorna Shore, Ov Sulfur, and Fit for an Autopsy. And today, we'll be checking out their second album Feral.

What an aptly titled name for an album! All you can expect is the headbanging primal aggression of their nu-ish metal/deathcore, which is apparently all the band wanted to make since they first formed. And it looks like they've achieved that goal in just 25 minutes of fire and fury.

We already reach thick depths in the title opener within the vocals and riffs. As the guitar rage bursts through, vocalist Taylor Barber unleashes his growls, with some clean singing in the more melodic sections. Add a couple kick-A breakdowns and we're in for a strong start. If you thought that was brutal, wait until you hear "Artificial Anatomy". Soon the heaviness speeds up and then you hear the fast growling rage of guest vocalist Kim Dracula. Taylor ends the track with a shrieking breakdown that practically makes that song their own "To the Hellfire"! Then it segues to their own "Of the Abyss", "Primitive Urge". I consider it that because of the melodic strings in the background, really adding a magic touch to the heavy aggression of guitar duo of Jacob Gordon and Peter Higgs. Not to mention the growls by Fit for an Autopsy's Joe Bad.

"Break the Fever" has more brutal drumming by Alex Vavra, and greater variety in Taylor's vocals from high to low. Those vocals reach their peak in the middle of the song along with the guitar effects. That part is so f***ed up but in a great way. And with the searing soloing, that marks another excellent highlight. Heading into "Recluse", you can imagine yourself getting ready for a battle motivated by Taylor's shouts and the audible bass of Christian Nowatzki. Full-on nu deathcore hits your face, only calming down for brief moments. I wouldn't be surprised if that song ended up in the DOOM Eternal soundtrack.

Then comes another strong standout in "Illusion of Sleep". It's short yet pulverizing in the breakdowns. Kinda like "Disappoint Me", another heavy banger. From the Architects-style BLEGHS to the typical deathcore breakdowns, there's so much impact in just those two minutes. "Consistent Suffering" is filled with feral death/metalcore. At over the one and a half minute mark is an unreal blend of sped up trap with the usual growled vocals. Those lyrics may seem sad, but the vocals make them sound mad.

Left to Suffer has their raging strength on display in Feral. Their destructive force is not one to be taken lightly. I wouldn't say this is the best deathcore album I've heard, but it's solid and attacks like a motherf***er....

Favorites: "Artificial Anatomy", "Break the Fever", "Illusion of Sleep", "Consistent Suffering"

Those last couple reviews for albums by Enterprise Earth and Fit for an Autopsy were my attempts at checking out the progressive side of deathcore, ending with fantastic results. Now we're going into the more nu-ish deathcore bands. I actually heard of The Last Ten Seconds of Life before this review because one of my brother's friends likes that band, along with a few of their tracks being added to my Revolution playlists, but that band was too brutal for me at the time. Maybe I can enjoy the brutality more now...

The metalcore/deathcore scene expanded a lot throughout the new millennium. Some might find some bands listenable, while others don't. This Pennsylvanian band storms through with some of the most aggressive riffs, breakdowns, and vocals you can imagine. Any open-minded heavy modern metalheads can recognize their strong talent.

"As the World Turns Over" begins their brutal nu metal-ish direction. The vocals sounds so monstrous! "The Box" has more massive guitar assault as the near-undecipherable lyrics growled by then-vocalist Storm Strope bite religion in the a**. Leaning into post-hardcore a bit is "North of Corpus". Then "Meant to Be Free" is covered in sinister riffing and breakdowns that are more horror-filled than The Exorcist.

"Guillotine Queen" has more of those growling vocals blended with whispering. Speeding up a little is "Pain is Pleasure" with powerful atmosphere. "Ballad of the Butcher" has all the different extreme aspects deathcore has. "Sacrifice (The Prince)" is so d*mn perfect, absolutely impressive with the brutal music and irreligious lyrics. F*** yeah!

"Changing Forms" continues the harsh growling and crushing guitars. We actually get a blues rock-sounding solo in the lighter yet ominous "Heavy Headed". Next up, "Junkie - Sprite" is an interesting highlight. Although they're still deathcore, that one leans into some of the chaos of Car Bomb while staying in a mid-tempo pace close to the industrial groove of Fear Factory and Mnemic. Finally, the vocals have more effect in "The Dream is Dead" which returns to the earlier brutal heaviness.

In a world where melodic pop songs have influenced even metal bands, The Last Ten Seconds of Life avoid those influences like the plague. Soulless Hymns is filled with heavy rage not for the faint-hearted. Anyone up for some brutal fury should take on these hymns of destruction....

Favorites: "As the World Turns Over", "The Box", "Meant to Be Free", "Ballad of the Butcher", "Sacrifice (The Prince)", "Junkie - Sprite"

The newest record from Swedish death doom duo Enshine is a pretty decent, if a little slow. I was worried about this album at first as the first two tracks didn't do anything for me. "Heartbliss" in particular had that really out of place transition between two different songs halfway through, before becoming a guitar solo for the remaining two/three minutes. "Distant Glow" was a bit of an eye opener. For one, it's entirely instrumental and secondly, it's the best track on the record. I was going to highlight this review with some snarky remark of "if you're best track on the album is the instrumental interlude, we're gonna have a serious problem" but that's not actually what happened. You see normally with these death/doom albums they start strong and lose momentum in the second half. As the album becomes more moody in its second half, it becomes considerably better. The slower tempos of "The Purity of Emptiness" and "Reignite" and the ample space given out by the vocals cause these songs to feel more lived in and do not feel forced like how "Heartbliss" or "Where the Sunrise is Felt" do.

This is a decent enough of an album if you can overcome the slog it takes to get going.

Best Songs: Distant Glow, The Purity of Emptiness, Reignite

Fit for an Autopsy is one of those bands I had never really thought of listening to. Likely because at the time this album came out, I was still quite selective about deathcore. I wasn't up to trying the more brutal bands, or at least sounding brutal in the name, like Fit for an Autopsy. So far, all I heard about their 2022 album Oh What the Future Holds is that apparently they took a more atmospheric progressive direction. Well, seeing how much I love the new Enterprise Earth album, let's not waste any more time...

You have no idea how quickly my interest went up in Fit for an Autopsy's music. Sure, many people have started their FFAA journey with The Great Collapse of The Sea of Tragic Beasts, but Oh What the Future Holds pretty much kickstarted it for me in an instant. Any doubt I have for this band is long gone!

Sounding unpleasant yet beautiful, the opening title intro will have you at the edge of your seat. After some ambient piano, it explodes into an intense barrage of vocals and riffs. "Pandora" is where everything hits full charge. The chaotic rhythms and dramatic melodies fit well together, alongside lyrics like "Too many graves, not enough shovels". Then "Far From Heaven" is more groove-ish in the riffs and drums. The chorus is well-paced, and the song gets more destructive all the way up to a brutal breakdown.

"In Shadows" is absolutely hammering! Nothing but relentless darkness to destroy all in its path. "Two Towers" has more smooth melody before it snaps back into aggressive heaviness. "A Higher Level of Hate" has more frantic riffs, drums, and vocals, all of which make another powerful highlight.

"Collateral Damage" is even more monstrous. You can witness a huge firestorm of blast beats, vocals, and leads, swirling around and burning different lands beneath. "Savages" attacks with savage technicality to headbang to. "Conditional Healing" continues the explosive energy. "The Man That I Was Not" is an awesome 7-minute closing epic. It impresses me with the alternation between cleans and growls. Just like the 7-minute closing epic of that Enterprise Earth album, it is the "best for last"!

This kick-A masterpiece that is Oh What the Future Holds has nothing filler at all and has allowed me to hear the top-notch talent of Fit for an Autopsy. I'm pretty much THIS close to letting it surpass Lorna Shore's Pain Remains as the best deathcore album of 2022. Indeed the future of deathcore holds great promise!

Favorites: "Pandora", "In Shadows", "A Higher Level of Hate", "Collateral Damage", "The Man That I Was Not"