Even as a slightly older metal fan, I don’t get the hate for deathcore. Is it the shorter hair? The way they dress like emo kids? The younger fanbase? Musically, I have no problem with it. In fact, I find myself listening to Suicide Silence and Whitechapel right along with my Meshuggah, Slayer, and Dark Tranquillity. All this to say, deathcore has something to bring to the table just as much as any other subgenre when it is done right.
These Chileans do it right. Call this a nationalist/racist assumption, but I wasn’t aware that Chile was equipped with recording facilities capable of producing this pristine level of sound. As with much other deathcore, the mix is very heavy on the low-end. The guitar tone itself is VERY similar to that utilized by Black Dahlia Murder: squelchy and compressed, but in a way that compliments the sound. The playing style is also similar. Riffs range from ominous, sustained minor chords, to wild fretboard tremolo journeys, to obligatory deatchore breakdowns. Drums are fast, varied, and never predictable.
Vocals run a decent range as well. The lows sound like early Whitechapel, the highs like Mitch-era Suicide Silence and Black Dahlia Murder. There are also a few almost clean…proclamations? I don’t know what else to call them. Kind of like what August Burns Red does, but more aggressively. Some of these are delivered as a group for greater effect. I was never bored.
The addition of symphonic elements and classical piano a la early Dimmu Borgir are what help this album truly shine. Sweeping synthesizers, music boxes, strings: all arranged perfectly. I can’t say enough about the actual piano pieces. They are just lovely and cap the album off with a stunning outro. Furthermore, this does not feel like symphonic and deathcore haphazardly mashed together. Everything gels just right. The versatility of touring options could be great here: they could spend the summer with Born of Osiris and then turn around for a winter tour with Dimmu Borgir. In both cases I feel the sound fits right in.
This was an instant purchase for me. You can stream the full album at their bandcamp page. Excellent, albeit brief album from start to finish. If you listen and just don’t like it, that’s fine, but don’t hate on it just because of the deathcore elements.