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I still can't get a grip on this whole deathcore/metalcore thing. I mean, sure, lots of genres can sound the same when you compare, but I'm sorry, basically, all deathcore really does sound the same. The same fucking breakdown, the same post-hardcore screaming, it's pretty much the most rehashed music on the planet, and I really mean that this time. Here's a breakdown in every song you're going to hear: jun jun jun jun reeeeee jun jun jun jun doo doo doo, jun jun jun roaaaaaaaaaaar, jun jun jun jun dududududdu (kick drum roll). Fucking sucks. Knights of the Abyss have been called deathcore, and though I'm not familiar at all with their early work, I have to say I don't really agree too much with that tag and they should be happy I don't.
The Culling of Wolves has an interesting presentation. At first glance, if you've never heard of these guys, you'd think it was some sort of doom metal thing, so much does the art recall Electric Wizard or Cathedral. I personally think the foldout is fucking boss. The cover has this wolfgirl with a chalice and a bunch of esoteric symbols all over her body. Inside, you're treated to a poster-like insert with a series of wizards sacrificing a girl with wolves all over the place, all with this style verging on creepy new age. If that doesn't scream Electric Wizard, I don't know what does. The lyrics, however, revealed this was not likely what I was about to listen to. They're not bad overall, just nothing really striking.
The Culling of Wolves is not best categorized as deathcore, you can hear a variety of styles at work here, including black metal. The album begins immediately with "The House of Crimson Coin", and doesn't let up until the end. Overall, for a band categorized as 'deathcore', this is much better than the usual. The music is varied, though at times it can get a bit stagnant, but there are a number of interesting riffs and segments to keep most listeners interested throughout. The production quality is solid and very clear, which is a plus for this type of music, and my only real problem is the singing. Now, don't get me wrong, it sounds just fine, but it lacks the variety of the rest of the music when you listen to the whole album. The vocalist could stand to add more depth to his method of singing instead of sticking to the same format most of these bands do. However, at the same time, it doesn't have that 'adolescent' feeling to it, so at least he overcomes that tendency of deathcore singers to sound like they're yelling at their parents in their room after refusing to eat macaroni and cheese since there was hot dogs in it and they're vegan.
The Culling of Wolves is definitely an album I'd recommend for anyone interested in deathcore, primarily because it breaks with most of the usual sounds of the genre and does its own thing at times. It's nothing that's going to totally blow you away, but it has enough variety for a full package. If you're looking for something that doesn't suck balls like stupid fucking The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza (seriously what the fuck), I'd strongly recommend these guys. This isn't the greatest album out there, but if they keep it up and tweak their sound, Knights of the Abyss could start to pull ahead of the pack of wolves, if by wolves you mean assholes with gauged ears and fucking lame haircuts.
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Written by Arkus
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