1st October 2023

Review: “In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” by Saltwound

Produced, mixed and mastered by Josh Bearden at Nevermore Recordings (Distiguisher, Ov Sulfur), Northern California Deathcore five piece Saltwound have unleashed “In the Shadow of the Valley of Death”, their third EP in three years together. They’ve been keeping dangerous company with Taylor Barber of Left To Suffer, Marc Zelli of Paleface Swiss and Spencer Letsinger of Tempter making guest vocal appearances on their prior works, not to mention a cover of “The Blister Exists” by Slipknot recorded for a compilation back in 2021 leveling the surrounding area. So what does this new burnt offering sound like?

A brutal Nu-Deathcore soaked opening cut, “Shadows Remain” is a tale of heartbreak and grief at the death of a best friend to a drink driving accident, dealing with grief, loss and resurfacing memories in an outpouring of pure catharsis. Sonically wrapped in bouncy stuccato riff infestations and programmed nuances which serve to enhance the darkness, it’s a track you can feel the grit and integrity of. Resonating with ground shaking force, the rap screams of “The Company You Keep” ensure the intensity is maintained, while bringing some serious heat. The bass slaps and the percussion sounds huge as the band play with tempos and atmosphere, creating a sinister, eerie horror film hellscape and then adding in vinyl scratching to the closing moments. As if that wasn’t enough to get excited about, “The Negative Pt. 2” chugs and churns with Deathcore grooves. Another one that hits like a concrete slab to the skull, the shriller uncleans balance off the deeper darker demonics nicely ensuring that there is plenty of depth and texture to this bite of brutality. They may not be the heaviest Deathcore band in the world but they have tunes to help you breathe more easily and are fearfully addictive [7.5/10]

Track Listing