Drown in Sulphur - Dark Secrets of the Soul (2024)^{Release ID: 49615}

Deathcore and I are not the most comfortable of bedfellows, I could count the number of the sub-genre's albums I have heard on the fingers of one hand and I have actually enjoyed even less than that. So I went into Dark Secrets of the Soul expecting little and knowing the sum total of fuck all about the band. Turns out they are an italian, corpse-paint wearing, four-piece and Dark Secrets of the Soul is their sophomore full-length, following 2021's Sulphur Cvlt.

Well, I will just kill off any suspense and say it straight out up front - actually this isn't half bad at all. I know, right. What the hell is up with me? Well it appears that I might actually be a secret deathcore fan and I didn't even know it myself! I think where deathcore wins over other core-related subgenres is within the vocal department, which is where I notoriously struggle when faced with conventional metalcore releases. I don't especially dislike metalcore instrumentally, but the vocals often irritate me intensely, so the inherently more grizzled and guttural vocal requirements of a death metal sub-genre tones down the "screechiness" (for want of a better word) I struggle with so much in metalcore and results in something much more palatable to my ears. Another trick the band have up their sleeves is that they have included a perceptible influence from symphonic black metal, with synths imparting a sense of pomp and circumstance and mitigating some of the harsher elements of the metalcore aspect of the band's sound. Eclipse of the Sun of Eden, for example, has a really noticeable black metal influence from bands like Anorexia Nervosa or Dimmu Borgir that complements their deathly metalcore sound so well.

The band aren't afraid to change gear away from metalcore aggressiveness either with the balladic Lotus, which features the album's best guitar solo, sounding like the second part of Slipknot's "Vermilion" in places including the clean vocals. I'm no expert, but I reckon that despite all these variations from standard deathcore, there is still more than enough of that melodic hyper-aggression present to please the regulars whilst the other influences help to differentiate Drown in Sulphur from the pack and may even draw in newer listeners to the genre, like myself. I like the fact that italian metal bands in general are unafraid to take chances with their music and, for me, in this case, it has paid off big time.

Adding symphonic/black metal elements to deathcore was something barely existent in the late 2000s/early 2010s. In the mid-2010s when Winds of Plague started fading out of activity, and Make Them Suffer and Betraying the Martyrs discarded their earlier deathcore roots, it seemed like that idea was going to die out. But then the late 2010s saw the rise of Shadow of Intent and Lorna Shore, with the latter causing a massive spike up in the early 2020s, and spawning a league of younger bands of that style...

Alongside Mental Cruelty and Dragoncorpse, Drown In Sulphur has entered the symphonic blackened deathcore league with their second album Dark Secrets of the Soul! Deathcore brutality has been placed together with technical complexity and symphonic melody.

"Adveniat Regnum Tuum" (Thy Kingdom Come) is a disturbing intro of alien noises. Odd start there. Then a crushing modern blackened riff commences in "Eclipse of the Sun of Eden" with spectacular growling vocals. "Buried by Snow and Hail" adds orchestral depths in contrast to the extreme heaviness. The drumming speed is absolutely nuts, and it's an important aspect for deathcore chaos.

Continuing the previous songs' direction, "Unholy Light" offers metallic breakdowns in the blink of an eye. Things change a bit in "Lotus", a dark ballad that starts acoustic then builds up in heaviness and emotion. The emotion bleeds into the title track before raging on in the riffs, vocals, and orchestration.

"Say My Name" is a more obscure track, while still being a perfect slow banger. The atmospheric "Vampire Communion" is a nice interlude to get you ready for the album's massive ending... Final track "Shadow of the Dark Throne" is the perfect summary of all the band has done in the album. This is spine-chilling symphonic blackened deathcore for only the bravest and/or darkest souls.

Drown in Sulphur's second album is both a dark and beautiful offering. Dark Secrets of the Soul proves the band's place in the symphonic blackened deathcore league. I say this disturbing yet underrated style of deathcore shall be in good hands as the decade progresses....

Favorites: "Buried by Snow and Hail", "Dark Secrets of the Soul", "Say My Name", "Shadow of the Dark Throne"