Deathcore isn’t dead. You may wish it was, but if the much-maligned subgenre’s output over the past few years has been any indication, deathcore on every level is alive, well, and thriving. Staples like Fit For An Autopsy, Thy Art Is Murder, Infant Annihilator, Carnifex, Despised Icon, and Whitechapel have produced some of their most consistently creative and high quality records to date over the past two years, while acts like Shadow of Intent have continued to propel this style of music forward. This year alone has seen deathcore bands like The Acacia Strain and Xenobiotic release critically acclaimed records that made waves in the scene and beyond upon their release, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either pop up on more than a few year-end lists in November. With their fourth full-length effort, Hell Will Come For Us All, Aversions Crown attempt to keep the deathcore gravy train rolling. Thankfully, those who champion this brand of music can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s a thoroughly solid outing.
Aversions Crown have always stood out from the standard deathcore pack due to the technical emphasis they employ in their songwriting. Unlike deathcore’s earliest progenitors, Aversions Crown have focused their songwriting in a more technical death metal-oriented direction, adding layers of instrumental insanity to the standard, chunky chug of deathcore. In a very similar vein to Beneath the Massacre’s Fearmonger, Hell Will Come For Us All is replete with the type of technical wizardry one would typically see in releases from bands like Vale of Pnath or Allegaeon, while melding chunky brutality with more complex structures that keep the music lively and interesting throughout. It’s a combination that has served the band well throughout their career, and pays huge dividends here.
The first few tracks on the record more than adequately display the band’s continued development as musicians and songwriters. Opener “The Soil” mixes atmosphere, technical acumen, and sheer brutality in equal measure, creating a frothing stew of death metal goodness that’s pretty difficult to resist. The finale blends sci-fi atmo soundscapes with an almost Angelmaker-esque level of beatdown aggression in a way that just works. It’s a fitting calling card for the majority of the record, which weaves in and out of such moments with expert precision. But Hell Will Come For Us All is much too cohesive to be broken down as a hodge-podge of singular highlights. It’s a fully developed collection of tracks that are filled with choices that feel intentionally designed and are uniformly well-executed. On the latter front, the instrumental performances on this record are particularly impressive. “Born In the Gutter” displays the band’s expert-level aptitude as musicians, while vocal newcomer Tyler Miller delivers an impassioned and inspired performance that stands out as one of the more effective in deathcore that I’ve heard this year. The album also shows off a fairly diverse template of sounds for the band. Where “Paradigm” moves and grooves through mid-tempo atmospherics, tracks like “Caught In the System” attack with merciless speed and aggression. It keeps the album unpredictable, varied, and thoroughly engaging throughout. Throw in some monstrous production and you’ve got yourself a winner.
When viewing the history of Aversions Crown, it would be difficult to argue against Hell Will Come For Us All sitting atop the pile as the band’s most diverse, captivating, and thoroughly punishing release yet. The band has over the course of the last decade built for themselves a dynasty of solid releases, and their fourth full-length only further solidifies their status as one of technical deathcore’s premier acts. Aggressive, appropriately atmospheric, and consistently brutal, there’s little about Hell Will Come For Us All that isn’t excellent and engaging, making it an easy record to recommend for fans of the fastest and most punishing styles of death metal. With this release, Aversions Crown provide another definitive statement that proclaims deathcore is alive, well, and never better. Whether or not you find yourself a fan of the subgenre’s particular method of audio violence, I strongly encourage you not to skip out on this one. It’s well worth your time.
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Hell Will Come For Us All drops June 26 via Nuclear Blast.