Review Summary: A genre starving for relevancy receives a fresh champion.
In a world where description tags continuously expand alongside a desire to categorize every new tune under the sun, it’s strange how many still hold an aversion to employing the deathcore label. Perhaps it has a certain negative connotation—chalk it up to years of tired tropes, dull songwriting, and the breakup or ‘moving on’ of veteran acts—but when a group such as Slowbleed enters the scene, metalcore and death metal influence in tow, invoking the classification becomes an exercise in semantics and basic addition at that point. In fact, it could be reasonably argued that what’s accomplished in the brief duration of
The Blazing Sun, A Fiery Dawn is the exact sort of hit that heavy music appreciators have been craving from the stagnating realm of deathcore. Despite being rather new to this whole music biz thing, the California quintet have offered a debut capable of catapulting them into the upper echelons of the genre almost immediately. One might wonder how it’s possible to make a leap so profound without God-given talent and a solid long jump, but fear not! These Santa Paula gents have uncovered the incredible secret to crafting a
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In reality, the ploy is a basic knack for creating songs that propels Slowbleed over the masses of crews perpetually failing at replicating the antics of genre stalwarts. All the typical ingredients that congregate to construct a deathcore disc are all here; there’s a breakdown around plenty of corners to satisfy those exploring the depths of Bandcamp for moshing fodder, right alongside chugging, haunting chords and angry lyricism. What elevates the Cali fellas over competitors, however, is how they refuse to live and die by the tricks of the trade, opting to accentuate similarly powerful traits—potent grooves and crushing low end riffs—so that a given song’s existence isn’t dependent on any particular strength landing a deciding blow. If a sudden halt of proceedings misses the mark, the audience doesn’t instantaneously up and leave the show. There’s a level of cleverness to where and when Slowbleed deploy the oft-maligned tactic. On occasion, the stereotypical stoppage is anticipated in a manner akin to a nauseatingly predictable horror movie twist—only for Slowbleed to instead launch into a thrash metal-like solo. The breakdown may still come to claim souls in the wake of this massacre, but at that juncture, it’s an ideal complement: it provides a delightful contrast to the higher tempo of the runaway guitar work. If the breakdown was removed from the equation, the track would still succeed off the back of multiple other elements; ergo, one single variable cannot sink the ship.
Death metal has a greater prominence on
The Blazing Sun than the majority of fellow deathcore efforts. It’s adorned in the genre’s trademark guitar style—dropped to the depths, crunchy and hefty—but the riffing engaged in during the debut’s breezy runtime is decidedly bred from the universe of death. This opens the door for Slowbleed to get imaginative with their songwriting; not being handcuffed to the breakdown allows for things such as the aforementioned melodic soloing and pulverizing grooves. Various cuts off of
The Blazing Sun spend considerable time accruing momentum, establishing a basecamp before ascending to their respective peaks. It’s somewhat of a double-edged sword at times since the group’s patience can initially appear lethargic. However, these introductions can be perfect opportunities for Slowbleed to develop an idea, roping the audience in with scintillating rhythm work or permitting a spell of silence to reign and build anticipation. Plenty of ground is covered at whatever speed the set desires, be it an adrenaline-fueled romp perfect for headbanging or an atmospheric venture that aims to emblemize a particular mood. A production that gives the band the necessary power and dirt to supplement their heaviness is the model cherry on top, darkening proceedings and supplying a menacing edge to the music without going overboard into the pitfalls of brickwalling.
It would be unfair to claim that Slowbleed entirely eschews tradition, what with the album’s contents almost entirely devised like a ‘back to roots’ mission. Nothing is necessarily new here, but the old is performed with confidence, meticulousness, and palpable aggression. To have done so without abusing the usual suspects of deathcore lore is a feat in of itself, though it’d be more of a participation trophy without the support of the weighty guitar passages. The West Coast gang has redefined the genre by simply flipping back a few issues and returning to the groundwork laid previously; there’s no need to abide by trends that are losing the luster they may once have wielded. Some trimming of the fat could do wonders—the interludes incorporated here and other stabs at ambiance have mixed outcomes, most of them a hearty ‘eh’ at best—and the band’s tendency to get stuck in mud early on in songs is a lingering annoyance. These are hardly enough to detract from what amounts to a sturdy amassment of thunderous riffs accompanied by the tastiest grooves deployed in this musical type in a
hot minute. This is a mostly-killer, some-filler experience capable of ruling a gym playlist or a hardcore stage. All it took was a simple adjustment: a displacement of the breakdown from its pedestal. It need not be the de facto despot of all things dxc in the way an inevitable crescendo can murder post-rock groups. What can matter the most is all the little things, and in that regard, Slowbleed are on a rapid pace to overthrow yesteryear’s titans and steal the spotlight for themselves.
