Review: “Flesh & Bones” by The Gloom In The Corner

Describing themselves as a concept driven Metalcore act from Melbourne Australia are The Gloom In The Corner. Mikey Arthur, Matt Stevens, Matt Haberle, Martin Wood and Paul Musolino have been joined by a trio of very interesting guests for a 7 track album that follows up their 2016 debut “Fear Me” and 2017 EP “Homecoming”. They promise to take us through a myriad of violent, moody and radiant emotions on a journey where story and melody unite. Bold claims? Not on the evidence of the pre-released singles…

Smashing down walls like a battering ram “Misanthropic” comes out of the gate like a Juggernaut with pummelling drums and a surprise Deathcore squeal. Rap screams are the order of the day with an off kilter sanctity clause in the contract due to their unhinged nature (“I’m not psychopath, just Misanthropic” followed by insane laughter…). A spoken word lights the place up before a hardcore inspired gang chant. As opening tunes go, it’s a frantic, high energy affair that is going to go down live like a cold pint on a hot summers day. “Peace” features Kadeem France of Loathe which may seem as something of a surprise but then the very Loathe esq guitar work comes in and it’s an obvious choice that makes perfect sense. There is a haunting underpinning layer underneath the chunkier riffage with a synth layer adding an eerie atmospheric tone. In contrast to the opening tune, it’s a bit more of a stomper but is also as rock solid as they come. A closing melodic part with accompanying rainfall could well be another track in its own right and acts as a nice bridge to the next tune. A guest vocal appearance from Dylan Torre of Weeping Wound on “Survivor’s Guilt” is the second guest appearance with a bouncing Gloom riff and more of the unhinged vocals that lit up the opening tune. The electronics continue to offer haunting horror film score noises while the band grow the track with breakdown after breakdown until they go full throttle Deathcore with some savage uncleans.

Proving that the opening trio of tunes weren’t flash in the pan “Bleed You Out”, breaks windows with some Dealer esq frenetic riffage while the electronics act as an additional guitar, providing an almost video game like lead flourish element that comes though over multiple listens. A hateful, bludgeoning affair, its pretty obvious someone has beef and closing with some more Deathcore inspired work helps knit the album together. Note: it’s billed as an EP, however at 7 tracks it qualifies as a full album by digital platforms. So we’re calling it an album. The Melodic start to “Deer Hunter” is something of a purposeful false dawn because while the tune is littered with melodic breaks, it’s still heavy enough to pack a punch. There don’t seem to be any lyrical pointers to the Robert De Niro, but the band do reference “Misanthropic” and continue the story of “Sherlock Bones”. “D.I.M.A” sees the final guest in Amelia Duffield on the penultimate tune. Probably the biggest surprise on the album, it has the emo vibe of Panic At The Disco or melodic Ice Nine Kills littered throughout. A story driven affair, it sounds out of place in the context of the album, even if it contains a number of the bands key elements. The Motionless In White industrial synth vibe that underpins it all is decent enough it’s just that it doesn’t sit right here. Starting off in the same way “Can’t Reach the Sun” then switches it up for a verse of the earlier heaviness before returning to the style of the previous tune. Whether it signals a style shift for the band or it’s just some experimental entertainment is up for debate. They play with a richer palette than Loathe with less stark cold industrial feel but those last two tunes might take some getting used to for the less broad minded Metal Fans [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Misanthropic
2. Peace ft. Kadeem France of Loathe
3. Survivor’s Guilt ft. Dylan Torre of Weeping Wound
4. Bleed You Out
5. Deer Hunter
6. D.I.M.A ft. Amelia Duffield
7. Can’t Reach the Sun

 

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