Review: “Dark Secrets of the Soul” by Drown In Sulphur

Having arisen from the black depths of the Italian Deathcore scene in 2014 and risen to prominence with a pair of heavy hitting EPs in 2015’s “It Rises” and 2018’s “Blackwind“, the waterfall release of six singles from Drown In Sulphur led to a mass exodus of members, seemingly to help facilitate a style shift. Reborn as a four piece the outfit now comprise vocalist and guitarist Chris “Christ” Lombardo, drummer Domenico “Darth” Francesco Tamilia alongside axe wielding duo Emanuele “Dimitryux” Corso and Daniele “Blacklight” Posillipo. Together they have pulled in a great many Black Metal influences and with 2021’s debut album “Sulphur Cvlt” they fired both barrels with the record surpassing 1.46 million Spotify streams alone. Now they return with “Dark Secrets of the Soul”, a record described as a collection of violent and melodic dark songs that introduces the listener to an esoteric experience, touching the deepest and most controversial aspects of the human soul. Adorned by artwork from Alvaro Valverde from AV Art Ilustracion (Unanimated, Wythersake, Night Crowned), produced, mixed and mastered by Filippo Rambelli (Cremisi, Next Time Mr. Fox, Model Decoy) who had the help of Alex Pedrotti in recording, it is said to be aesthetically inspired by the 90’s most famous vampire-themed books and movies…

Translating “Adveniat Regnum Tuum” from the Latin gives us “Thy Kingdom Come” and this eerie and disorientating piece sounds like the voice of a ghost, indecipherable and yet pure evil, as if the Candyman has arisen to slash your neck. Surrounded by white noise, it sets the scene for opening track proper “Eclipse Of The Sun Of Eden” which has an epic orchestrated introduction that reeks of the Cinematic before driving into blast beats with a wave of earth shattering kit work. A lethal dose of pure hatred from the underworld, Drown In Sulphur creating a Blackened Symphonic Deathcore hybrid in a similar vein to bands like Draconian Reign in spine tingling fashion. Downtempo chugs and melodic bridges give breathing space between the blast beat passages and everything sounds huge. There are also flavours of Extreme Metal as if the band want to follow the path of Cradle Of Filth, something that shines through the darkness of the crushing “Buried By Snow And Hail” with its melodic leads and bold orchestration. The staccato riff breaks that flow into a blast beat laden breakdown passage accompanied by some feral slam vocals from Lombardo is something that may catch the attention of Lorna Shore fans, however there is probably not enough of the jaw dropping crazy vocals to draw too many comparisons. A blistering if short solo is a tasteful touch too.

An industrial tinged opening gives “Unholy Light” a little of something different before the blast beats rain down like flaming boulders in a medieval castle siege. The core elements put the record in a similar territory to “Decimate The Weak” era Winds of Plague, the orchestrations and guitar tone very much in keeping with that style, the difference here being that everything sounds so much bigger and bolder. On this one Lombardo offers up more of his throat splitting death growls but embellishes them with a few shriller moments in both the foreground and the background to give us something with a little more cutting edge. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another wave of terror comes crashing down with the acoustic introduction of “Lotus” accompanied by an aching accented spoken word. That then flows into a clean vocal contrasted by uncleans on alternate phrasing for a chorus that has a melancholic lament to it, the fretboard smouldering extended solo saving it from damnation in oblivion. Daring to be different is one thing but this one feels like they wanted to create their own version of “Cemetery Gates” by Pantera for no apparent reason. Fortunately it grows on you over multiple listens, largely due to the anticipation of that ripper of a solo. A haunting introduction to title track “Dark Secrets Of The Soul” makes you wonder if it is going to go the same way, however after an extended build up the band get back to what they do best with some galloping drums and rhythmic battery that owes something to the darker side of Metalcore. A couple of melancholic moments skilfully avoid clean vocals, Lombardo instead searing the ear drums with flame and the technical leads that finish this one make it a sure-fire winner.

If you thought that Drown In Sulphur might do a rendition of the Destiny’s Child song of the same title in Punk Goes Pop style then you’d be sadly mistaken when “Say My Name” hits. Front loaded with staccato riff break infestations with a stomp laden chugged orientation, this mid tempo powerhouse is pure neck snapping Deathcore, dirty and destructive from start to finish. An eerie and haunting introduction piece of acoustic guitars and orchestration, “Vampire Communion” is a gripping build up to grand finale “Shadow Of The Dark Throne“, giving it the opportunity to shone through the darkness with a palate cleansing moment of a lighter embrace. The near six minute magnum opus continues to lead us down the path of Extreme Metal with vibrant synths and impressive leads, the scream-a-long chorus and infectious breakdown style riffs fearfully addictive. Then there is that crushing downtempo breakdown with second set of feral, slam inspired vocals in the final third that causes the ground to shake beneath the feet. A beast has arisen; the dead walk the streets at night and Drown In Sulphur do nothing but laugh in the face of evil… [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Adveniat Regnum Tuum
2. Eclipse Of The Sun Of Eden
3. Buried By Snow And Hail
4. Unholy Light
5. Lotus
6. Dark Secrets Of The Soul
7. Say My Name
8. Vampire Communion
9. Shadow Of The Dark Throne

“Dark Secrets of the Soul” by Drown In Sulphur is out 12th January 2024 via Scarlet Records