Review Summary: Bring those fucking junz boys. m/
Deathcore is a very touchy genre, not only for me, but for a lot of metal fans in general. And to be fair, there’s a good reason for it. The genre is full of uninspired bands just looking to make a come up in the metal scene. A lot of people consider deathcore bands as just going through the motions and a lot of the time they’re correct. However, sometimes you will come across certain bands that bring insane amounts of energy and passion into their brand of deathcore and AngelMaker is one of the bands leading the charge in that regard.
The band’s first album was, by my own admission, by the numbers deathcore. It was solid but for the most part it felt like it was just your typical deathcore album that had moments of brilliance but ultimately ended up leaving a lot to be desired and I was particularly skeptical about how their second album, their self-titled, would turn out. Let me be the first to admit, my expectations were way off. AngelMaker has taken the best parts of their debut, multiplied them by a thousand and the end result is one of the best deathcore albums that has come out recently, maybe ever.
The main thing that caught my attention about this self-titled album is just the pure intensity and willingness to try out new things while still maintaining their core sound from the previous album. It’s way more technical and even more progressive with some softer passages and how they’re intertwined so perfectly. There’s your fair amount of breakdowns without ever feeling stagnant and always keeping the listener on their toes. There’s a presence of technical death metal and prog elements that the previous album was lacking and it helps make
AngelMaker a much more diverse listen that what was heard on the debut. It’s not quite as breakdown heavy and more riff driven than what was heard from them in the past. The vocals are absolutely relentless, switching from absolutely demonic death growls and an almost black metal esque style of banshee shrieks a la Trevor from The Black Dahlia Murder. The drumming is way more technical, with seemless transitions from blast beats to slower fills and everything in between. The production is top notch without ever sounding too clean or over produced.
If you were ever a deathcore skeptic such as myself, then I completely understand why you’d be iffy about checking this out. The genre has never had an amazing reputation. AngelMaker has seemed to carve out a clear niche for themselves while separating themselves from the pack on their self-titled album. If you like tech death, prog death or even your good ole fashioned deathcore and want to hear them all mixed into one almost perfect album, I highly recommend you check this. Hands down one of the best deathcore releases I’ve heard in my listening experience.
