“My weeping wounds singing hymns to my downfall.“
Deathcore is a genre which sets out to make you grimace in a good way. It wants you to furrow your brow and frown in recognition of the heaviness, nod solemnly, and wonder if there’s a higher being to be found within the diaphragm of a black hole. Distant plunder deathcore’s very soul to crank the foulest, most unsubtle downtempo heaviness that can be found in today’s metalcore scene. Heritage is their new offering, a record for true deathcore fanatics. Unsurprisingly, this is not the record that will convert those who hesitant about the genre.
As on 2021’s Aeons of Oblivion, Distant focus the listener’s attention on the vocals, at some expense to the rest of the mix. This isn’t your granddaddy’s traditional Floridian death metal, where you need to be a bat to tell apart the singer from the bassist – every growl, scream, spit, and spew on Heritage is unmissable. And these performances are incredible, high energy demonstrations of the most brutal vocals in the scene right now (Alan Grnja).
The band follows closely: powerful drums dictate the pace, kicking with every discordant root-note chug of the guitars. Most riffs are twisted and detailed, full of satisfying squeals. But make no mistake, Distant make themselves about their vocals, which are front-and-centre almost all the time, with only a few breaks in songs like “Orphan of Blight” or “Exofilth” for solos. Additionally, their dynamics come fully from tempo, as most tracks conclude with a breakdown-inside-a-breakdown. Don’t expect any medium-volume moments, as Distant consciously leave out the quiet bits.
“Argent Justice” illustrates this perfectly. It’s the longest track and features a staggering twelve additional vocalists in an attempt to unite the deathcore community. When first attempting “Argent Justice” with this in mind, I expected ‘placeholder’ instrumentation that just served to give its participants a platform. But actually it’s quite good – in fact, the eventual breakdown is very satisfying. All the vocalists pen their own lyrics and give electrifying performances that interact closely with the changing rhythms. So whilst it is not without character, “Argent Justice” still quite an exhausting slog, and it can’t shake the feeling of being a studio experiment. The latter flaw does not apply to the rest of the record where the shorter singles “Exofilth” and “Orphan of Blight” are the right length and full to the brim with satisfying moments.
If you’re looking for a track that isn’t always balls-to-the-wall intense, it takes all twelve tracks to get there. “Plaguebreeder” has a more gradual intro and contains moments of ill-intentioned, creepy-clean guitar that precede the crushing riffs. It’s like that band is trapped in their own downtempo breakdown, making the most dynamic track on the record, and it’s all the more effective as a result. Beyond the band, there all sorts other sonic elements in the mix; there’s always something extra to completely fill out the mix. There are extra beats and drum effects on “Paradigm Shift“, corny symphonic intros (“Orphan of Blight” and opener “Acid Rain“), and leftover guitar drones on “Human Scum“, to name a few. If there is any subtlety at play on Heritage, it’s within these swirling adornments, and the various ways they work to underline the crushing atmosphere.
Distant‘s visual art direction is inspired by the sci-fi and fantasy themes of the vocals and should also be mentioned, as the band certainly haven’t left it as an afterthought. Blood-soaked techno-abominations and fallen anime protagonists adorn their singles. “Argent Justice“‘s music video is a visualised headache. And if you aren’t on board with deathcore, Heritage is likely to give you a real one. It’s leaner than Aeons Of Oblivion, and each track offers an objectively overwhelming experience. But the full album experience struggles to provide memorable moments, as each track seems to try to one-up the previous one. It might be easier to fathom and more impactful in smaller doses, and the singles are mighty, so don’t count this record out if you are ready to try deathcore at its most indulgent.
6.5/10
Heritgage is out February 10th via Century Media Records, and can be pre-ordered here.