Review: “Self Titled” by In Gloom

Central Florida Downtempo Deathcore collective In Gloom have gone all out for their full debut album with no less than six guest vocalists appearing over its seven track run. They’ve chosen likely tour partners and friends to appear on these cuts so live you’re going to see these collaborations in their true form over the coming months of the albums tour cycle, which should be impressive. The band themselves comprise vocalist duo Colin Hajeck and Michael Darrow, axe welding duo Lou Harvey and Nick Garcia alongside rhythm section pairing Michael Clampitt on bass and Tyler Savino on drums tapped up James Lewis (Lordis, Nomadic) at Forerunner Recordings to record the instrumentals and mix the album. Intriguingly he co-wrote both “Scorched Earth” and “Wise” with the band before the mastering was completed by Simon Sludge (Nightmarer) at Sludge Recordings.

The opening battle “Scorched Earth” kicks up some serious dust with a Black Metal burst of blast beats and riffs that style shifts into Deathcore pause break riffs, the last 16 seconds of which drops into that low and slow Downtempo stomp and introduces the double headed dragon vocalist pairing. Flowing straight into “II” as if it’s the same track with the same dark, crushing intensity, a single flow verse and another burst from Downtempo into raging blast beats and back down again, this opening pairing are a system shock. An icy KoRn esq dissonant lead part on the ultra slow brings in the chug break chug crush of “Sycophant“, it’s deep atmosphere being utterly brutal. The tempo shifts like desert sands in the winds keep the game tight and on edge as to what is coming next. The tracks have been ordered so they flow into each other like a multi car pile up and “Vapid Existence” comes in swinging with pummelling kit work and a huge drum sound from Tyler Savino. Little plays on silence or small sounds that build up and crash down false end this one more often that you can imagine but it just keeps coming back like an addict to her dealer. It’s brutal and ugly and brilliant all wrapped into one tight package, delivered like an IED.

Changing gear for first single “Wise” which is a more straight up Deathcore track in its pacing with some two step moments and artillery shell kit work is a game changer for 130 seconds before slowing down to the pacing and darkness of the earlier cuts. It’s eerie and haunting like seeing the intruder momentarily before she punches you in the face with a Knuckleduster and seriously addictive. “The Chained Oblivion” cleverly brings back the false endings and tempo shifts with some jackhammer footwork and riffs of swagger and confidence. Demonic possession higher pitched vocals cut through the growls and a spoken word line on this one burst into a technical solo that you’d not expect in this genre but is a great twist of the knife. Warped off kilter guitar tones bring in the haunt of the song from which the band take their name in “In Gloom” and it’s a creepy start to a cut that then leaps head long into some more traditional meaty Deathcore riffs. An introspective track with tempo shifts that match the swing of a butchers knife, it mixes things up in comparison to the earlier cuts. Each of the guests weighs in with their own strength and this is a powerhouse start to a career [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Scorched Earth
2. II
3. Sycophant (ft. Kyle Medina of Bodysnatcher)
4. Vapid Existence (ft. Jeremy Torres of Deadland)
5. Wise (ft. Pon Zimora of Broadmoor)
6. The Chained Oblivion (ft. James Lewis and Nic Zayas of Nomadic)
7. In Gloom (ft. Logan Wendt of Holehearted)

“Self Titled” by In Gloom is out now