Album Review – Ov Sulfur / The Burden ov Faith (2023)

Behold the debut album by this Las Vegas-based Blackened Deathcore beast, overflowing blasphemy, sulfur and obscurity.

The sound of a musical left-hand path that is nothing short of sonically jarring, lyrically blasphemous and utterly epic in its delivery, Las Vegas, Nevada-based Blackened Deathcore entity Ov Sulfur has just unleashed upon humanity their first full-length opus, entitled The Burden ov Faith, the follow-up to their 2021 debut EP Oblivion. Engineered, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder and produced by Morgoth Beatz, the album challenges the genre’s conventions while inviting comparisons to Dimmu Borgir or Behemoth in their prime, with an ominous sense of melody dotting the dark musical landscapes brought into being by frontman Ricky Hoover (Suffokate), guitarist Chase Wilson (Collisions, Sigil), bassist Ding (Efnisien) and drummer Leviathvn (Empyrean Throne, Dawn of Ashes, Deadcheck, Urilia), supported by an array of magnificent guest musicians the likes of Alex Terrible (Slaughter To Prevail) and Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage, Light The Torch).

It’s hell on earth in just a few seconds in the opening tune Stained in Rot, with Ricky already growling like a beast while Leviathvn dictates the song’s demented pace in a lecture in Blackened Deathcore by the quartet; and the band continues to pulverize our ears in Befouler, featuring the aforementioned Alex Terrible on guest vocals, with Ricky’s inhumane roars walking hand in hand with the heavy-as-hell riffage by Chase. Then we have Unraveling, featuring Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer) as a guest vocalist while epic background keys add an extra touch of sulfur to the music. Needless to say, Ding’s bass and Leviathvn’s drums sound infernal from start to finish, which is also the case in Death ov Circumstance, where its wicked lyrics (“The sky above is cloaked in endless dark / Ashes, once life, coat the lungs ov all those in sight / What a foul stench – that ov charred innocence”) spice up an already venomous sonority, or in other words, it’s demonic Deathcore at its finest; whereas hellish barks, piercing riffs and whimsical background orchestrations and sounds will embrace your soul in Earthen.

After the atmospheric, enfolding interlude A Path to Salvation?, the band will crush our senses with the grandiose I, Apostate, where Ricky showcases not only his deep guttural roars, but he also delivers more devilish Black Metal-inspired screeches, sounding perfect for breaking our necks headbanging. Poetic lyrics are darkly screamed by the duo formed of Ricky and guest Howard Jones in Wide Open (“One of us, accept your feelings / One of us, let go of it all / One of us, this is the real truth / One of us, break their control over you”), while Chase, Ding and Leviathvn are merciless armed with their sonic weapons in the most sulfurous of all songs. Their second to last breath of darkness and blasphemy comes in the form of The Inglorious Archetype, with the massive drums by Leviathvn and the visceral roars by Ricky sounding awesome despite the fact that the song loses its punch after a while; and lastly, featuring guests Kyle Medina (Bodysnatcher) and Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth), the title-track The Burden ov Faith is a spot-on depiction of everything the band stands for, with the charming vocals by Lyndsay bringing some peace to our hearts amidst the band’s metallic savagery.

Such incendiary album can be appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you should purchase your favorite copy of The Burden ov Faith by clicking HERE, and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on. Ov Sulfur offer us all in their debut opus everything we love in this type of music, sounding absolutely devilish, caustic and blasphemous from start to finish, paving the band’s path to the underworld and, therefore, placing them among one of the new driving forces of the current Deathcore scene worldwide.

Best moments of the album: Stained in Rot, Death ov Circumstance and Wide Open.

Worst moments of the album: The Inglorious Archetype.

Released in 2023 Century Media

Track listing
1. Stained in Rot 4:14
2. Befouler 3:43
3. Unraveling 4:46
4. Death ov Circumstance 4:33
5. Earthen 5:24
6. A Path to Salvation? 1:13
7. I, Apostate 4:40
8. Wide Open 5:07
9. The Inglorious Archetype 3:46
10. The Burden ov Faith 6:50

Band members
Ricky Hoover – vocals
Chase Wilson – guitars
Ding – bass
Leviathvn – drums

Guest musicians
Alex Terrible – vocals on “Befouler”
Taylor Barber – vocals on “Unraveling”
Howard Jones – vocals on “Wide Open”
Kyle Medina – vocals on “The Burden ov Faith”
Lindsay Schoolcraft – vocals on “The Burden ov Faith”

Album Review – Lorna Shore / Pain Remains (2022)

One of the most explosive names of the current Deathcore scene invites us all to dance like flames in a sea of fire to the sound of their newborn masterpiece.

Hailing from New Jersey, in the United States, the unrelenting Progressive/Symphonic Deathcore outfit Lorna Shore has been making a name for themselves since their inception back in 2009, but it’s now in 2022 with their newborn masterpiece Pain Remains that we can say without a shadow of a doubt they’ve reached a whole new level of awesomeness. Produced, mastered, mixed, and engineered by Josh Schroeder, Pain Remains is the fourth studio album in their career and the first to feature frontman Will Ramos, guitarist Andrew O’Connor and bassist Michael Yager, who together with guitarist Adam De Micco and drummer Austin Archey are simply setting new standards in the world of rock and metal music, sounding absolutely heavy, caustic and sinister while at the same time epic and beautiful throughout the album’s 60 minutes of top-of-the-line Deathcore infused with symphonic and old school death nuances. Put differently, you’re in for a treat with Pain Remains, an album that will certainly place Lorna Shore as one of the driving forces of modern-day metal music worldwide, and that will certainly feature among the best releases of the year.

A stunning opening tune, Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer showcases poetic lyrics roared by Will (“Open your mind, let it consume / Your flesh dissolve within the infinite / The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of all / Their nightmares”) while the music is a gripping fusion of progressiveness, epicness and rage; and Austin decimates his drums in the pulverizing Into the Earth, supported by the flammable riffs by Adam and Andrew in a bestial display of Symphonic Deathcore. Sun//Eater is another tune with a serene, introspective start before all hell breaks loose to the demonic gnarls by Will, sounding and feeling dense, technical and infernal from start to finish, with its guitar solos being a thing of beauty, making an instant bridge with the imposing Cursed to Die (a song about the creation of life, bringing upon the idea that maybe the figure we see as ‘god’ is no different than what we already are) where the band hammers our heads with their wall of sounds spearheaded by the blast beats by Austin and the rumbling bass by Michael. And less intense but just as heavy and obscure, Soulless Existence offers us all a lesson in Progressive Metal where Will keeps screaming manically from the bottom of his blackened heart, all spiced up by the song’s epic background keys.

In Apotheosis the background choir sounds marvelous, adding an extra touch of obscurity to the band’s venomous Deathcore while also presenting a great job done on the guitars and drums, offering Will exactly what he needs to growl nonstop; whereas in Wrath we’re treated to more of their wicked words barked by Will (“Behold displacement, cremation / Rising from devastation / From embers of creation unto death / All shall return”) masterfully embraced by an unstoppable sonic attack by his bandmates, or in other words, it’s Symphonic Deathcore played to perfection. Then get ready for a truly unique experience to the superb “Pain Remains Trilogy”, which begins with Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames, where the sound of the falling rain enfolds our souls before exploding into visceral, caustic Deathcore. Moreover, Austin is simply fantastic behind his drums, leading his bandmates until the music flows into Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear, even more violent and crushing than the first part, with Will being on absolute fire throughout the entire song as well as the band’s guitar duo with their razor-edged riffs and solos. Then closing the trilogy (and the album) we have Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire, another masterpiece by Lorna Shore where the energy emanating from the music is immensurable, and don’t forget to check the official videos for the trilogy in the correct order to be properly hypnotized by their depth, their emotions and, of course, by their incredible music.

You can dive deep into the ocean of first-class Deathcore blasted by Lorna Shore in Pain Remains by listening to the album in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, and also by following such skillful band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on. In addition, above all that, you should definitely grab your favorite version of Pain Remains by clicking HERE, adding to your personal collection one of the deepest and most dynamic albums of the past few years. Having said all that, let’s simply dance like flames in a sea of fire to the sound of Pain Remains, resting assured that as long as Lorna Shore keep delivering first-class music like what’s found in their new album, Deathcore will forever remain strong.

Best moments of the album: Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer, Wrath, and obviously the “Pain Remains Trilogy” comprised of Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames, Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear and Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2022 Century Media

Track listing
1. Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer 7:21
2. Into the Earth 5:12
3. Sun//Eater 6:10
4. Cursed to Die 4:40
5. Soulless Existence 7:12
6. Apotheosis 4:54
7. Wrath 4:57
8. Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames 5:52
9. Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear 5:36
10. Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire 9:12

Band members
Will Ramos – vocals
Adam De Micco – guitar
Andrew O’Connor – guitar
Michael Yager – bass
Austin Archey – drums