“Burn for your leaders. Mourn for your futures.”
Helmed by one of the best vocalists deathcore has to offer in Ben Duerr, as well as Currents guitarist Chris Wiseman, it is no surprise that Shadow of Intent have produced hit after hit. The New England-based quartet return to kick off 2022 with Elegy, their fourth album in six years, and it might just be their best yet. Cranking the theatrics up several notches, Elegy is a death metal opera, haunting violin passages establishing its darker atmosphere. In many places, the technicality on the record is scaled back—leaving core instrumentation that is very refined—in favour of cinematic soundscapes that make the songs truly epic and grand in scope, a perfect fit for Duerr’s exploration of war on the record.
The album’s driving force is its tragic tone and cinematic orchestral arrangements, dripping with battle imagery. The combatants’ emotions are conveyed by expressive vocal performances; Ben Duerr naturally takes the lead, but Andrew and Chris’ pitched screams sprinkled throughout create a visceral sense of desperation. More than any prior Shadow of Intent release, Elegy pulls the listener into its world and floods them with emotion to connect beyond a purely sonic level. To this end, nuanced songwriting gives the music room to breathe, the band allowing the atmosphere speak for itself (2:42 in “Farewell” and 3:24 in “Life of Exile” being prime examples). Having already demonstrated their technical prowess on previous works, they have nothing to prove in that regard, and feel comfortable dwelling in the amplified atmosphere.
The mimicking of battlefield ambience at multiple points throughout is stellar, often recreating the sounds of marching through various staccato rhythms. Unique cultural flavours represent the different locations of specific battles: “Blood in the Sands of Time” oozes with Phrygian scales. “The Coming Fire” epitomises this, the music dropping out to let the samples of soldiers marching and chanting shine through, immediately succeeded by Chris’ tremolo riff overtop a meaningful, marching drumbeat.
Moments like this are where Elegy stands proudest, capturing every aspect of war and distilling it into an average runtime of five minutes. The unexpected progressive structure of several tracks portrays the unpredictable nature of war, with songs like “Saurian King” and “Blood in the Sands of Time” illustrating its ubiquitous and global nature through their eastern soundscapes, whilst the titular tracks that close out the album serve as an anthem of people overcoming military conflict: adapting, developing, overcoming, as the band have with their sound.
Lyrics are often an afterthought in deathcore and adjacent genres, but the lyrical content on this record is masterful. Inspired by genuine testimony, it deals with war in a very tasteful and personal manner, shifting the narrative focus from the typical grand and strategic view onto the everyday suffering and mourning in its wake. As the title implies, Elegy is a song of lamentation for the dead.
‘The endless sacrifice / We honour those who die / We do not know the price / Paid by those who are left behind.’ [The Coming Fire]
‘They paid the ultimate price / Where millions have come to die / Surrender is denied to the corps / By the despot held above them / Their losses are mounting at a staggering rate.’ [Where Millions Have Come to Die]
Stepping away once more from the Halo theme is a shame, but, as with Melancholy (2019), it’s traded for something special in its own right. The lyricism and personable touch to the historical, martial subject matter makes it interesting and gripping. It would have been easy to misrepresent the horrors and glorify battles, as media so often does, but Duerr’s deft touch treats it with the appropriate gravitas. The result is a raw and honest album in a glossy and polished sonic package. Wiseman’s production here is transparent and unobtrusive, guiding the listener to the heart of the music and the recounted narratives. In many ways, this reserved notion is how the band approach many aspects of their music: brutal is not always better. Ben is my favourite deathcore vocalist, and yet I typically prefer his features, as with Shadow he is content to tailor the expression to the instrumentation. Not every moment necessitates wicked lows. Thus, the moments where he truly does let loose are all the more impactful.
Penultimate single “Where Millions Have Come to Die” illustrates this philosophy with the incorporation of Whitechapel’s Phil Bozeman: his feature between the first and second verses is a reserved but complimentary addition to a very mature song (and record). Depicting the suffering endured in Ukraine during World War II and the way in which the nation fought to retain its identity, “Where Millions Have Come to Die” comes marching out of the gates with frantic blast beats, and then leaves off of on a mournful note of clapping. Ben remarked, “This song mourns their fallen, while hoping their innocents can remain strong, despite being locked in disarray and subjected to atrocities. Let this also be a reminder to our own compatriots that no matter the current political climate, no matter the disagreements, we will survive it, as we are one.”
The other song sporting a feature, “Blood in the Sands of Time”, is a chug-fest with huge lows. “Life of Exile” opens like the soundtrack for an idyllic movie scene before quickly transitioning into a spooky lead. Chris Wiseman’s pitched screams offer a different texture, whilst the song’s memorable chorus sets it apart. “Reconquest” was perhaps the surprise of the album, being fully-instrumental melodeath, yet still enthralling. Even as someone who vastly prefers deathcore, I cannot deny Shadow of Intent’s evolution is an artful one. There are some who will understandably find this deviation too extreme, particularly given the notable lack of breakdowns, but the result is a masterpiece that makes the genre distinction an inconsequential detail.
Each song has something that makes it truly special, whether that be the blackened tremolo riffs overtop Duerr’s oration on “The Coming Fire”, or Wiseman’s ridiculous shredding on “Elegy III: Overcome”. Sickening guitar solos feature across the breadth of the record, and the album sates my appetite for orchestration in spades; among many such examples, the violin outro in “The Coming Fire” fading into “Of Fury”’s keys is truly haunting.
Thirteen minutes of continuous atmospheric goodness, the trilogy of elegies that bookend the record flow into each other beautifully, yet also stand alone as phenomenal tracks in their own right. Each track is progressively more abrasive than the last; Duerr’s brutal low midway through the closer is undeniably crushing. Pinched guitarwork across the tracks is extremely satisfying, as is the sliding scale on “Elegy III: Overcome”. Elegies II and III comprise the same, infectious chorus: ‘So we sing ourselves to sleep, when the strong overtake the weak, the cities burn and bridges bend. Now we lay our heads to rest.’
On an amazing day for deathcore releases (Fit For An Autopsy, Enterprise Earth, Worm Shepherd), Elegy is the crown jewel. I never expected Shadow of Intent to top Reclaimer (2017) but they have, the singles somehow among the weakest tracks on this latest release. Continuing the band’s endeavour as an independent artist, Elegy’s reflection on the dark reality of history’s many conflicts is ambitious yet flawless, and truly makes it melancholic.
Elegy is available to stream now, and you can purchase it here!
9/10