11th December 2025

Review: “Ossuary Of Sorrow” by Repose

It is written that something wicked this way comes as Artifact vocalist Michael Veneris and I See The End multi instrumentalist Joey Taylor have joined forces to create a Deathcore project dubbed Repose that they promise is as uncompromising as it is thought-provoking. Their debut EP “Ossuary Of Sorrow” pulls at every loose thread with cryptic writings that draw from the poison well of themes of mortality, trauma and cultural erasure to offer a brutal listening experience paired with a stark social commentary. They claim that their intention isn’t simply to add to Australia’s already rich Deathcore heritage but to push the genre into the territories which previous genre Gods fear to tread…

…10 seconds warning is all you get at the start of “Momento Mori” before Veneris throat shredding vocals tear through the ear canals and like a nailbomb going off in an enclosed space there is nowhere to hide. Stitching together a death growled bark with some shriller moments to create contrast in texture the vocals are as savage as they come and when paired with the crushing sonic hellscape that swirls around them the combination is a brutal one. Flirting with eerie, haunting sounds, technical bridges and high gain down tuned breakdowns on what sounds like it could well be at least an eight string guitar ensures that Repose offer the kind of high caliber output designed from the ground up to put a hole through your chest. The heavy artillery isn’t just there for effect however, the edges of the spine juddering moments sanded off with vim and vigor. A spoken word introduces “Vox Mortis” before the driving riffs begin to rain down like acid from the skies, Veneris reaching and touching the void into Slam with some bloodcurdling vocal moments as he demonstrates some skull splitting range. Proving they can do more that simply offer brutal punishment the melancholic melodic bridge mid cut that holds another spoken word but as death looks clearer through bloodshot eyes, you know whats coming. It’s just a matter of when the final vicious tirade is going to hit like a sucker punch and when it does, it’s like getting hit by a truck. There is fleeting respite at the start of “Ossarium” with the sound of thunder, programmed drums and melodic guitars before things get heavy, vocal layering giving the impression of two vocalists when there is only Veneris to contend with. The intensity and groove of the track are exceptional, the song well crafted and the lyrical narrative so bleak sounding, you’re going to want to read the lyric sheet at the next opportune moment. Honestly, this three track affair is the kind of work that is far beyond a first stab in the dark and is very much the polished, complete sounding piece from a duo of genre aficionados who have the talent to match their vision [8.5/10]

Track Listing