The Pitch: Philadelphia's Dark Water's End bring us an incredibly heavy new progressive DM album that they describe as "technical metal, but without the need for a scientific calculator." FFO: Reaping Asmodeia, Exocrine, The Apex
What I Like: Something about this album just had me saying, "that's what's up." Dark Waters End are another band that join the brutalness and accessibility of deathcore with the adept musicianship and songwriting of progressive death metal. Like they said, it's technical and presents more than just your typical 4/4 time (stated influences include BTBAM and DEP), but it doesn't get lost in anything too complex either. With Submersion, it's all about creating the heaviest death metal possible, and if that happens to take the band towards a pace change or proggier guitar hook, so be it.
And fortunately for us, it finds those more interesting routes quite frequently. For your first sampling, I highly recommend skipping the first track in favor of "Empty Skies." In my opinion this is where the album truly kicks things off with some really quality guitar hooks and powerful vocals. John William seems most comfortable at a deep, caverous growl, but the occasional higher scream keeps things from getting stale. Similarly, every member of the band keeps their style loose and flexible, leading to some really dynamic moments.
Critiques: There's very little not to like here. It's not going to leave you feeling like you've opened some new, profound window, but it will still knock your socks off. I will say that while I appreciate "Unquenchable" for showing off the band's diversity and slower side, it feels a little out of place in the context of the rest of the album.
The Verdict: Submersion have seriously turned my head with Dark Waters End. Simply put, it's engaging, well-written, expertly performed, and above all: heavy as f#$k. Do yourself a favor and grab it right now.
Flight's Fav's: Empty Skies, The Great Dirge, Bucket of Flesh
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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