Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: eOne/Good Fight
Date of Release: March 26, 2013
MUNDANE MELODIC DEATHCORE
Dark
Sermon is one of those newer metal bands that have already been attracting a growing
following as time passed. This potential legacy began in 2009, when the band
took form in Tampa, Florida. They released their debut EP in 2012 called “Aimless,”
which, while it sounded like nothing totally groundbreaking or phenomenal, it
nonetheless had some potential hidden under its wing. In fact, it seemed to
have caught the attention of record label giants eOne and Good Fight
Entertainment, which have been known for signing famed acts such as The
Contortionist, Straight Line Stitch, and Within The Ruins. Since then, a new
full-length release would be in the works, and would then see the light of day
in early 2013, known as “In Tongues.” As the band’s first full-length record,
this eleven-track beast will truly determine whether Dark Sermon is taking a
strong second foot forward into the scene, or if it is instead a step backwards
from their preceding release.
Starting
off, the musicianship showcased in “In Tongues” is quite solid. The vocals
consist mostly of brutal roars and screams, and they are very aggressively
performed. The drums are also very solidly played out, and are more focused on
the fast-paces than anything else throughout the release. The guitars, however,
are the highlight of the musicianship overall, possessing some energetic and
rather potent riffs and melodies in certain parts peppered across the album. All
in all, the elements of the musicianship are performed generally well, although
they don’t necessarily stand out. On top of that, the sound production also
serves as one of the album’s stronger points. Executed by Jason Suecof, who has
also done the same work for bands such as August Burns Red, The Contortionist, and
Job For A Cowboy, did a stellar job of letting each instrument shine on its own
while still sounding natural and crisp, thus boosting the already solid
musicianship to some further heights. Overall, what “In Tongues” truly succeeds
in is the musicianship showcased and the sound production that supports it.
Unfortunately,
what “In Tongues” does not entirely succeed in is generating very memorable or
interesting death metal tunes. The majority of this release is composed of a crushing blend of melodic death metal and metalcore, with some
hints of thrash in between. As a whole, the music here has no actual, scathing
flaws, but the heart of why this release is woefully caught on the fence is
because there is almost nothing in it that could possibly make it thoroughly
enjoyable and invigorating. The mix described earlier has been done by a number
of bands in the past, meaning that if a group intends to make a release of the
same caliber, they should try to either add something intriguing or inventive
to the blend, or they should simply make it a wondrous representation of its
own genre. In this case, however, “In Tongues” doesn’t seem to accomplish either distinction
for the most part, since it’s fundamentally a generic melodic deathcore release
with no real quirks to keep listeners engaged. Thankfully, a few positive
points that can be identified with the record is that the tracks sound distinct
from one another, there is a slight supply of gripping moments, although they
are miles far in between, and the songs overall are structured decently. Sadly,
even these are not necessarily enough to make the release completely salvageable
or enjoyable. Overall, in terms of the melodic deathcore music that this release
has to offer, the problem does not necessarily lie within the structure,
musicianship, or track distinction, but rather in its lack of memorability and
intrigue.
Overall,
“In Tongues” is not necessarily bad, but there is nothing spectacular or very noteworthy
to make of it either. In other words, it’s in the middle of the scale. On the
bright side of things, the musicianship is great, along with the crystal-clear sound
production, and the songs are fairly identifiable from each other. Sadly, on
the other side of the spectrum, the deathcore is overall very pedestrian and
generic, and it has a sore lack of memorable or gripping moments or any
innovation. With all things considered, the scale weighs out to have both sides
balanced out rather evenly, and the end result is an average modern melodic
death metal release that may appeal strongly to fans of the said subgenre, but
not to anyone else outside of that realm. This is a shame, because “Aimless,”
while not earth-shakingly remarkable, it was a very enjoyable little release
nonetheless, and had a good amount of potential in its wake. Unfortunately, when Dark
Sermon releases an album that truly unveils that potential and ultimately
generates a highly enjoyable listen is yet to come. But for now, although
“In Tongues” proved to not be such a decent step forward into the band’s
career, there is still room for change in the future that will lead them to
making something truly special.
Score: 5/10 (Average)