“Cleanse the earth, and put an end to the human curse.”
The Browning are a band I’ve always been peripherally aware of. The Missouri electronicore outfit have been releasing music for around 11 years now, and despite my knowledge of their existence for some years, End of Existence is actually my first full album experience with the band. So, the question remains: will End of Existence usher The Browning away from my periphery, and into my sight-lines?
Starting strong with a brutal, atmosphere-drenched opener; title track “End of Existence” sets the scene for the record right out of the gate. Ferocious breakdowns and guttural screams line the first minutes of End of Existence, contrasted by the band’s modus operandi – bombastic synth work, that seeks to harken back to the heyday of the ’00s/’10s electronicore the band came up in. It’s a classic metalcore intro track; a few minutes of sheer brutality to provide the listener with enough involuntary stank-face to keep them hooked for what’s to come.
While following track “Destroyer” follows suit stylistically; providing a pacey, synth-laden deathcore romp; third track “Anticendency” shifts gear and switches things up a tad. A more mid-paced, melodic outing; bright, arpeggiated synths and gorgeous keys serve as the foundation for the track’s melody and structure. However, a core issue with End of Existence becomes readily apparent as early as these three tracks.
If I had one main complaint about End of Existence, it would be its production, and more specifically its mixing work. All of the synth work on display here sounds deep and well-crafted, but the metalcore and deathcore foundation beneath it tends to fall a bit flat, even in the album’s strongest moments. While the chugs and breakdowns are satisfying on the surface, there isn’t much weight to the production beneath here, with a notable lack of low-end oomph sapping much of the life out of tracks that should, theoretically, hit a lot harder.
These mixing issues are particularly apparent on Rammstein-worship track “Gott ist Tot”, wherein throughout its fairly inoffensive industrial metal instrumental, it feels that there should be an inherent energy with the genre that is just… lacking here. Hyper-speed double kicks that should feel impressive usher their way in around the track’s mid-point, but the fairly weak drum production makes them feel like they just sit in the background, proving both fairly non-obstructive and uncomplimentary to the standard-fare riffage that occurs atop them. It’s admittedly a stand-out low point on the record rather than an across-the-board signifier of quality, but it’s one that’s fairly indicative of my issues with End of Existence as a whole.
Mid-album track “Torment” luckily brings things back to life a tad. Easily one of the most diverse tracks on the record, “Torment” jumps in and out between fierce metalcore passages and almost Corpse Husband-esque rap verses – replete with distorted 808s and all. When the album leans more into its synth work and general electronics is where I feel it shines the most, which is strange for an album so reliant on sheer ferocity. I find myself latching onto the subtle synth textures and melodies far more than much of the guitar or drum work here, and despite that sounding like an outright negative, I’d argue it’s actually not. The instrumental work here is fairly serviceable, however I just find that the synth work on the whole is so much more interesting that I can’t help but fixate on those elements.
The remainder of the record contains some strong moments, though it’s rarely without issue. While the reliance on brutal breakdowns on tracks like “Rage” and “Chaos Reigns” exemplify a noted lack of variety in the songwriting across End of Existence on a structural level, those breakdowns in particular caught me involuntarily bobbing my head and scrunching up my face in unison. The strong emphasis on keen melodicism found on “No Man Can Become A God” is certainly welcome, with its most noteworthy trait being a great use of clean vocals, though the mix and yet another random breakdown mired my enjoyment of it a tad.
There are some outright positives, however. Topping the album off with a bang, late-album rager “Death Warp” and album closer “Fearless” stand alongside “Torment” as the album’s strongest highlights. Providing three minutes of focused, frenetic deathcore glory with some (typically) sick synths, “Death Warp” is the one outright heavy track on here that I truly love. Further, a strong emphasis on clean vocals and an astoundingly hype hardbass beat toward the tail end of “Fearless” provided some of my outright favourite moments across End of Existence, and had me laughing my ass off in the best of ways as the album closed out.
All in all, it’s pretty inarguable that End of Existence is a fun time. While the record is primarily a foray into the world metalcore and deathcore, outside of “Death Warp” I feel that the album excels when it isn’t wholly reliant on that metal foundation. Tracks like “Fearless” showcase what I feel this band does best – melodic, synth-laden bangers that don’t take themselves all too seriously. While I believe some better mixing and more creative song structures would have done the album wonders, I still had a great deal of fun with End of Existence, and The Browning are now certainly on my radar.
End of Existence will be available this Friday, December 3rd via Spinefarm, and you can pre-order the record here.
6.5/10