Sometimes I have to wonder why I do it to myself, review Deathcore that is. By no means do I hate the genre but I guess you could say I mostly dislike it. There are a few gems in there but most of it is diet Death Metal. Yet here I am, perhaps I’m just trying to stay on top of the game when it comes to extreme music, or perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment. So, let us surge forward in the hopes that what awaits is a digestible slice of modern Deathcore.
I say Deathcore but to be more precise I mean Technical Deathcore. This sort of additional sub genre can often be a great boon to a band such as Aversions Crown, who are indeed our subjects today. The Australian quartet formed in 2009 with some critical acclaim soon latching onto them with their sophomore album Tyrant in 2014. In fact their output has been pretty consistent and now in 2020 comes the aptly titled Hell Will Come For Us All. Given the current state of affairs it would appear that it’s already here. Let’s hope this Nuclear Blast release can help turn the turbulent tides of the times.
Opening track The Soil luckily plunges us straight in with some break neck speed drumming, maniacal riffs and enjoyable vocals that whilst Deathcore are more rooted in an older Hardcore styling that fits so well. It’s a melodic, bombastic introduction to the album and instantly catches the listeners attention. Born In The Gutter follows a similar pattern and is again very enjoyable. Honestly the Tech aspect really helps to elevate the band above a generic Deathcore sound and into something far more extreme. Even the breakdown in the aforementioned track is strong albeit a bit of a chugging rhythm. The title track offers up more brutality and crosses the bar of the middle of the record, by this point we’re very accustomed to Aversions Crown’s sound and truth be told it starts to wear a touch thin.
I really enjoy what the band is projecting and Scourge Of Violence only adds to the exceptional musicianship of this band and their Tech flirtation tinged with melody. Yet I feel like the band play it a bit too safe. Almost every song follows a pattern of fast, melodic, possible breakdown, repeat. Whilst this works it’s less than ideal even with the album being under forty minutes. Sorrow Never Sleeps is full of Tech flare and probably one of the albums more ethereal numbers. The album finishes with The Final Judgement which is a shrug of a song that adds very little to the album.
In terms of sound I can really get behind Aversions Crown, but in terms of creativity there isn’t a lot. I think that the band are certainly pushing Deathcore in the right direction and I would even go as far as to say that if you’re just a fan of Death Metal you’ll probably like this too. It’s far removed from the early trendsetting days of Deathcore’s past but it’s still very much in the realms of diet Death Metal. None the less if you’re a big Deathcore fan I can see you getting a lot of pleasure from Hell Will Come For Us All.
(7/10 George Caley)
Leave a Reply