“The forces that fuel my ambition are coming undone.”
The moon falls, and three days remain to stop it. Time perpetually resets, and those same events repeat into infinity. Such is the haunting, cyclical narrative of Termina, the setting of the cult classic video game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The artistic impact of Majora’s Mask and its exploration of the themes of time, death, acceptance has inspired many, including the likeminded modern-metal masterminds Andy Cizek and Nik Nocturnal. Together, the duo present their sophomore studio album, Soul Elegy.
“Translucent” marks the awakening of Soul Elegy and its forty-minute runtime, erupting with pyroclastic, frenzied Drop E guitar riffs by one of YouTube’s most sensational metal artists, Nik Nocturnal. Exploring the depths of psychosis, “Translucent” is an unfathomably devastating, despairing opener, providing Soul Elegy immediate emotional gravitas: “Mental dialysis / Separate me from all of the fallacies plaguing within / Search for a catalyst to awaken my dark intentions / Option paralysis.”
Until now, Termina have incorporated MIDI-programmed drum samples in their tracks, a technology which – in its defence – is becoming more accessible and better-sounding than ever. Yet with Soul Elegy, Termina have sought to surpass their debut album, 2021’s Dysphoria, hiring the overwhelmingly-technical prowess of Oceans Ate Alaska drummer, Chris Turner. Third track and album highlight “Everything//Nothing” utilises Turner’s signature grooves to the maximum, offering up intricate kick patterns interlaced with copious ghost notes. At times with such tremendous technicality, it is possible to exceed and overburden what would otherwise be a faultless track, and at least for me personally this issue crops up throughout Soul Elegy’s drumwork.
“Everything//Nothing” possesses everything that makes me love Cizek’s voice so much; scorching fry vocals that could sear a steak to near-blackness, pop-infused soaring cleans that grant him the status of being metalcore’s own Harry Styles, gutturals rivalling the biggest names in deathcore, he’s got the lot. Cizek’s expansive stylistic repertoire is seemingly fully expelled on “Everything//Nothing”, only to be further explored in “Blackwater”, a dreamy Loathe-esque track pushing Cizek up into higher registers most would consider unreachable.
Vying for my 2023 Song Of The Year is seventh track, “Take Flight”. From its two-hand-tapped lead guitar intro, pulverising riffs cascade down like infernal hail. Cizek’s performance throughout “Take Flight” is utterly sublime, delivering downright devilish screams with flawless control, contrasted by one of the strongest metal choruses I’ve ever experienced: “Take another breath and dream again / Wake up from this nightmare that you live / Don’t let your heart be reduced to a hollow shell / I know the truth still remains clear.”
In terms of vocal features, Cizek is in resplendent company on Soul Decay; Taylor Barber of Left To Suffer features on the scorching early-album cut “Inferno”, whilst Northlane’s very own Marcus Bridge steps up to the mic on the deliriously-heavy riff-fest that is “Bathed In Solitude”. Whilst the overabundance of features subjectively dilutes the equation somewhat, each serves the overarching narrative of the human experience with mental health uniquely and purposefully.
Ninth track “Erase You” is a deathly onslaught kicking off with Nik Nocturnal’s signature technical, bend-laden riffs, followed up by Cizek’s razor-sharp fry screams. Kyle Anderson of Brand Of Sacrifice appears towards the end of “Erase You”, delving into destructive deathcore gutturals: “Is this all that we live for? I hear your voice through the echoes / Memories fade from me / What will it take for me to erase you?”
“Wounded Masquerade” concludes Soul Elegy, and features the legendary Ryo Kinoshita (ex-Crystal Lake, Knosis) and the esteemed Calle Thomer of Vildhjarta and Humanity’s Last Breath. This track – whilst blissfully brutal in its own merit – is inarguably dominated by its features, exchanging the Termina DNA that has been built up over the course of Soul Decay for what is essentially a HLB track with Kinoshita’s vocal imprint on it. It’s an odd stylistic choice that makes for unusual pacing, albeit it’s a decision I cannot disdain over for too long given how unbelievably, almost-obnoxiously heavy “Wounded Masquerade” is. Lovecraftian is the best way I can describe this one.
Soul Elegy is a wonderfully-composed modern-metal record, encapsulating the vastly-developed musicianship that the duo have developed since releasing Dysphoria in 2021. Through blackened chasms below the earth and toward burning skies above, the anthemic, soaring voice of Cizek truly carries Termina to greater heights, bolstered further by radiant company in Nik Nocturnal’s instrumentation and the enormous roster of features across the record.
8.5/10
Soul Elegy will be independently released on September 29th, and you can order it here. For more on all the latest metal releases, stay tuned with us at Boolin Tune