Review Summary: While it checks off every box in your "Deathcore for Dummies" book, it's done so with enough enthusiasm to make for a ridiculously fun listen.
As one who was introduced to extreme music via the "core" subgenres, I have a soft spot for them. You could tell me again and again that it's all dead or dying and I will agree with you wholeheartedly. But I'll still crank the knob until it breaks when the breakdown hits, albeit guiltily. That being said, 2018 has been an off-year for core. Parkway Drive died, The Word Alive is barely treading water, The Plot in You completely sold out after the best album of their careers, Underoath had their anticipated reunion only to completely bomb it, and all the quality deathcore bands either released their stuff in 2017 or haven't yet (Impending Doom, Resist the Thought, etc.). Bleed from Within's latest is the most solid of the bunch, but it stands alone so far.
That being said, the bar is pretty low. Obliterate is a deathcore five-piece from Victoriaville, Quebec. "Impending Death" is their second full-length and frankly, it's exactly what we need deathcore to be in 2018. Yes, it has breakdowns, cookie monster vocals, blasts, and brutality as is expected from any deathcore band worth their salt, but has enough tricks up its sleeve and never overstays its welcome.
First things first, thanking the good Lord up above, Obliterate does not take the downtempo path down which so many have strayed in the modern day. Instead, they opt for a more riff-oriented jackhammer approach, sounding more like Aussie counterparts Resist the Thought or fellow Canadian legends Despised Icon. Only two songs meander around the 5-minute mark, but thanks to this 8-track release and the other relatively short cuts, this album hits you hard and fast and kicks open your door on the way out. You're only committing to just short of a half-hour endeavor, which is more than fair.
It wastes no time with the opening title track, relying on a deadly blend of pummeling grooves, brutal tremolo, and just enough haunting melody to carry a tastefully eerie atmosphere. Rémi Provencher's manic vocals add a fresh dimension to the sound overall--although they rely typically on gravelly lows, shredding mids, and sinister highs like most deathcore vocalists, his vocals drip with charisma. This basic formula is carried throughout the album's runtime, wavering between more or less melodic. Riffs in "Impending Death", "Aneurysm", and "In Devil's Care" will certainly bang heads, while haunting leads and solos in interlude "Hellhole" and "Reconquered" will turn those same heads. Tracks "I, Cerberus" and "Numbers" deserve special mention, as the melodic plucking present in the former's conclusion and the latter's introduction is, dare I say, beautiful.
While Obliterate does not reinvent the deathcore wheel in any way, each track is top-notch quality, the production is crisp and clean, and "Impending Death" never overstays its welcome. Sure, standards are frankly ridiculously low for 2018 thus far in deathcore (or any "core" genre for that matter) and these Canadian's may find their sophomore effort loses replay value as the year progresses. But for now, my "Deathcore for Dummies" book is closed and I'm enjoying the grooves.
