“Six feet closer to God.”
In the modern deathcore climate, no approach to the genre is as widely popular as the blackened methodology. With its focus on more dark, forboding, and instrumentally expansive songs, coupled with larger-than-life breakdowns, it often results in a recipe for success. Lately, however, this increasingly sought-after subgenre has seen a bit of a dip in popularity as many bands nowadays have focused more on vocal Olympics and symphonics that dominate the soundscape rather than pure songwriting. This, in turn, has ultimately resulted in the genre’s stagnation. However, Australian act Mélancolia has erupted onto the scene to show that there is still life. Ever since their explosive 2023 debut album, HissThroughRottenTeeth, the band has seen a lot of success with their more moody, black metal-focused take on deathcore. This ultimately shows that for the genre to work, it needs to actually sound scary rather than just being drenched in grandiose breakdowns. Fast forward to 2025, Mélancolia is set to return with their new album, random.access.misery, to show the scene they intend to be a sustained force to be reckoned with.
random.access.misery sees Mélancolia expanding their already engaging take on the genre by pulling back slightly on the theatrics that were on full display throughout HissThroughRottenTeeth and instead injecting a helping of nu metal groove and melody to make a more bouncy stride than ever before.
Right off the bat, we are treated to a shining example of how well nu metal elements work to supplement blackened deathcore set pieces in the lead single of the album, “All_Is_Rust”. Starting with a satisfyingly tempestuous instrumental intro, we are soon transitioned into a bouncy section of staple nu metal riffs atop bludgeoning blast beats. This gives the song a catchy groove that complements the screeching black metal-tinged vocals in a way that provides a refreshing atmosphere, which has been missing from the genre for quite some time. Another example of the nu metal groove influence shown throughout the album lies in “icanseethroughtheholesinmyhands”. In contrast to the lumbering pace of “All_Is_Rust”, “icanseethroughtheholesinmyhands” picks up the cadence in terms of speed and sheds off a bit of the nu metal influence, focusing instead on the heaviness of their songwriting while still exhibiting irresistible nu metal hooks that are sure to excite fans.
While the overall groove injected by the album’s nu metal elements is a major positive, it’s also worth mentioning how much the record’s increased melody adds to the fascinating layers of each track. “Lithia” is the best example of this. We are treated to some eerie background noise that sets up a brooding atmosphere that few bands can pull off. Mélancolia also gives way to more traditional melodically laden passages where the vocals take the auditory spotlight. Hunter Young‘s feature supports an engaging chorus that makes the following breakdown sound even more explosive. This ultimately solidifies “Lithia” as the strongest composition of random.access.misery. While “Lithia” is the most melodic entry of the album, another prime exhibition of this is heard in the closer, “Colder Still”. The melancholic piano portions from the end of the previous song, “Colder Now…”, are continued, which makes for a brooding mid-paced instrumental. random.access.misery‘s proficiency from an instrumental standpoint makes the heavier portions of the album hit even harder.
While random.access.misery is an overall improvement for the band instrumentally, the vocals, while still strong, could have been improved upon a bit more to serve the album a fair bit better. Songs like ”Picking Scabs” and “SPIT!”, which features Christopher Mackertich of Dregg, are strong instrumentally, but fall somewhat flat due to the lessened vocal prowess. This doesn’t give off the intensity that their usual sonic structure demands. While the lack of intensity, vocally speaking, doesn’t ruin these tracks by any means, it nonetheless holds them back to a decent extent.
random.access.misery is a monumental leap forward for an already talented band, showing that deathcore as a genre still has a lot to offer the general public in terms of not needing to be heavy all the time, necessarily, but instead having an atmosphere that keeps you guessing and maintains excitement. If Mélancolia continues writing material as strong as this, they will be a titan within the genre in no time.
9/10
random.access.misery is out Friday, August 29th, via Nuclear Blast Records, and you can pre-order it here.