Prayer for Cleansing - The Tragedy (2004)^{Release ID: 23009}

Prayer for Cleansing continue their perfect yet short-lived streak with one more EP to end in a bang! Once again they combine elements of epic melodeath and early metalcore, with lots of harmonies and breakdowns from their respective genres.

Not only does bring back old nostalgia from the earlier metalcore days from 10 years prior, but they predict a new future of melodic deathcore to plant the seed for bands like As Blood Runs Black and Conducting from the Grave. Prayer for Cleansing's sound and production are honorable, including audible bass. The unfortunate short amount of songs were 3 re-recordings of unreleased tracks from the Rain in Endless Fall era, and they're all as perfect as that album!

The well-done opener "The Closet" with a somber intro that sounds like something from a Southern-influenced band. And if you thought things would get darker, get ready to be blown away by the Scandinavian black metal-influenced metal/deathcore to come. The slamming breakdowns aren't too slow and perfect transition through with the drumming and strong vocals to show a slight improvement from their debut. "When The Sun Kisses The Morning" is my favorite track here. Absolutely melodeath-inspired, with a perfect amount of epic riffs, harmonies, and tempo changes, plus a breakdown worth moshing to. The transition to the outro might've inspired the Eyes of the Dead. The finale is an odd yet fun cover of "Salvation" by the Cranberries, with punky undertones and a chorus sung by drummer Will Goodyear, alongside Dave Anthem's screams. 

Everything is awesome!!! Seriously, I'm not referencing the Lego Movie here, this really is awesome! The vocals range from raw rasps to lingering lows, the guitars have varied structures in the riffs and tempos, the bass is actually audible for a metalcore EP, and the drums are varied as well. The lyrics could use slightly more work, but the album's perfect all the same. It really sucks that this killer band ceased to exist. I mean, no hate for 3 of the members' later band Between the Buried and Me, despite moving away from that band, but Prayer for Cleansing is heavily underrated and deserves to be listened to by fans of BTBAM, Undying, and Glass Casket. Let their legacy live!

Favorites: "The Closet", "When The Sun Kisses The Morning"