Review: “Decay/Rebirth” by In The Kingdom Of Nightmares

Often going under the radar due to being described as a traditional Metalcore outfit, In The Kingdom Of Nightmares are actually no strangers to weaving elements of Melodic Death, Black, and Thrash Metal into their music. The Bangor Maine based five piece dropped their debut EP “As Daylight Turns to Dusk” back in 2008 before their debut album “From Darkness to Despair” arrived in 2010 running on themes of Horror, self-acceptance, Standing up for yourself, Corruption, Dismay and Hope. An eight year hiatus was broken in 2019 by a pair of demos before a pair of line up changes brought in guitarist Luke Cormier and bassist vocalist Jay Knight in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Suddenly the band had become prolific and 2020 saw the arrival of EP “Requiem” before 2022 EP “Night Terrors” and now a year on the cycle begins again with “Decay/Rebirth“…

Produced by Evan Sammons (Myth Of I, Last Chance To Reason, Kaonashi) the record gets off the a flyer with 2003 era American Metalcore bruiser “River Road“, leaning on the inspirations from the heavier end of the genre at the time like The Black Dahlia Murder and The Agony Scene. A sub three minute Death Groove banger with an ear worm riff that begs you to mosh on the very first listen, it has a ferocious vocal from TJ Washburn, who it must be said is at his throat splitting finest. Staccato riff breaks alongside sinister and menacing touches bring “Deadlights” to life in brutal fashion, those mid tempo chugs the hellscape upon which Washburn combines whispers and harsh uncleans to tell a tale of dark evil. Something wicked this was comes as the band pull out creepy mosh worthy section the final third an absolute master class. Taking the left hand fork from the left hand path “Death Of Love” adds a lethal injection of melody with a rich, warm guest vocal from Sarah Hartman of Aversed painstakingly intertwined with cleans and unclean vocal layering from Washburn. Melancholic and fitting with buried synths and a brief and yet face melting solo, it’s another that evidences the quality of the musicianship of the band while at the same time refusing to dial down the energy levels. The violent turbulence of the earlier cuts returns with “The Quest“, an anvil heavy immovable object that tells the tale of a Kraken while having some intriguingly melancholic moments of its own. You’re going to need a bigger boat because the final breakdown on this makes everyone who listens shark bait. Last but by no means least “When The Dead Speak” decimates the weak as it unfurls its wings and takes to flight with classic Metalcore riffs galore and a brutal chant-a-long chorus. The pick slide into the final verse is an absolute Chef’s Kiss moment which you’re going to want to come back to time and again. This is an absolute hidden gem of a record, don’t let is pass you by [8/10]

Track Listing

1. River Road
2. Deadlights
3. Death Of Love (ft Sarah Hartman of Aversed)
4. The Quest
5. When The Dead Speak

“Decay/Rebirth” by In The Kingdom Of Nightmares is out 27th June 2023 via Alien Swarm Records