Review: “Trinity” by The Gloom In The Corner

“There are various depictions of Hell, generally focussed around fire and brimstone, pure evil, and sonically brooding or crushingly heavy. Our version of Hell runs differently; it’s chaotic, it’s operatic, and it’s different for every character. Time is inconsistent, non-linear, shifting backwards and forwards without warning. Welcome to the Rabbit Hole” ~ Mikey Arthur

More than a concept record, “Trinity” is a full on cinematic experience that Australian Gloom Metal quartet The Gloom In The Corner have taken great care to create with obvious similarities to the work of bands like Ice Nine Kills. At 145 seconds “From Heaven To Hell” may seem like a mere introduction piece but when it plays out what we get is a piece that grows from aching clean vocals and piano into a living breathing monster of chugging Gloom Metal riffs and raging uncleans. The complexity of the music intertwine with the complexities of the narrative from the very start with a lot of attention paid to even the most Minute of details, like Mikey Arthur’s use of an incredible vocal range as he mixes up varying styles while allowing the guests their own space to shine. Monique Pym of Reliqa fame brings the ache with some beautifully haunting cleans on “Obliteration Imminent” which are simply stunning and make for the perfect counter point in the balance of the tide of the song. Sonically “Ronin” which features now former Crystal Lake vocalist Ryo Kinoshita takes a leaf from the book of “Alien” by Northlane, blending crushing riffs with programming as the band create their most ambitious album to match their most ambitious vision. The ebb and flow of “Black Rot” is incredible, the orchestration adding a sheen to the skull battering darkness of a cut that approaches Deathcore at its most brutal points, which brings us onto “New Order” which instinctively should be heavy due to the presence of Taylor Barber of Left To Suffer on the cut. However it pays to expect the unexpected and a cut that has a wealth of melody and a huge drum sound as it dials in the theatrical element is jaw dropping. Naturally there are heavier moments but over all the twist that of a page turning thriller as Arthur makes use of his clean vocal abilities to the fullest extent and to dramatic effect, something we have not witnessed from him before.

Reminiscent of early Crown The Empire work but enhanced significantly “Clutch” is absolutely masterful while maintaining not only the high tempo but also the intensity, for despite the song having these moments of melody it still has at its heart a raging fire that keeps threatening to reach a point where it’s out of control. The dynamics in “Pandora’s Box” are flawless in their beauty before the script gets flipped entirely for the monstrous “Behemoth” which finds Arthur giving us a venomous raspy rap screamed vocal against a backdrop of bouncing Loathe inspired riffs. There is no question about it, as a vocalist Arthur has grown dramatically in strength and power because each time he changes his style to suit the dynamic and vision of the lyrical narrative, he gets it right. There is no weakness in his armoury and by the same token as musicians the band have stretched themselves much further than before, pushing out all the extremes in their sound and never being afraid to experiment to the point that they have created is the metaphorical moon on a stick. It’s that good and where others have attempted something like this before, The Gloom in the Corner have excelled at it as rather than drowning in the complexities of the elements or the sheer number of guest vocalists, “Trinity” is enhanced by them and is perfectly coherent.

Possibly the most ambitious cut is “Red Clouds” with a quartet of vocalists each taking their turns at producing some unbelievable clean vocals in a cut of soft melodies and deep textures that sees former guitarist Matt Stevens add a majestic solo. The polar opposite of a cut like “Behemoth” it still fits perfectly on the album as a stunning moment of beauty that then allows follow up “Nor Hell A Fury” to slap even harder as arguably the heaviest single moment here. “Gatekeeper” brings back those Crown The Empire vibes circa 2012 as it seamlessly blends the heavy and the melodic with some huge synths adding a layer of vibrancy to the onslaught of riffs. Suffice to say it’s another powerhouse in a collection of them and simply begs the question how the band are going to be able carry off some of these in the live arena. The final cut captures the style of the album with a couple schizophrenic back flips between the styles as it leaps from an almost bluesy Queen like cut to a bombastic punch in face that has Slam vocals in the mid section as it frantically cuts and thrusts. You may think you’ve heard everything, but you have never heard anything quite like this [9/10]

Track Listing

1. From Heaven To Hell
2. Obliteration Imminent (ft. Monique Pym of Reliqa)
3. Ronin (ft. Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake)
4. Black Rot (ft. Monica Strut of The Last Martyr)
5. New Order (ft. Taylor Barber of Left To Suffer)
6. Clutch (ft. Amelia Duffield)
7. Pandora’s Box (ft. Lauren Babic of Red Handed Denial)
8. Behemoth
9. Gravity
10. Red Clouds (ft. Crystal Joilena, Elijah Witt of Cane Hill, Rachel Jeffreson)
11. Nor Hell A Fury
12. Gatekeeper (ft. Ryan Kirby of Fit For A King)
13. Hail To The King (ft. Joe Badolato of Fit For An Autopsy)

“Trinity” by The Gloom In The Corner is out 28th October 2022 via SharpTone Records