Review: “A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone” by Survivalist

It feels a bit like deja vu saying this but in all seriousness it has been a phenomenal couple of years for Belfast self declared Groovecore beasts Survivalist. Having gained attention with their 2021 album “VII” the four piece, who comprise vocalist Gavin Edward Sharp, guitarist Nick Butcher, bassist Lee Shaw and drummer Rhys Fraser, have seen their stock on the rise ever since, sharing stages with heavy hitters like  Thy Art Is Murder, Kublai Khan and Suffocation in the process. Returning the studio they once again utilised the skills of Josh Sid Robinson (Lock Horns, Uragh, Archives) at JSR Audio who produced, mixed and mastered, their desire to set the world ablaze made possible with his studio spark. Signing to Seek And Strike Records for the release of “A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone” is very much the icing on the cake. While it’s not a concept album as such “A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone” does have a collection of similar themes running through its veins with notes on depression, anxiety, suicide, abandonment and self-worth sitting alongside equally heavy subjects like such as abuse, war and of course ultimately death…

Unhinged programming offers a rapid descent into madness at the start of “A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone” before the trademark thunderous Deathcore grooves rise from the abyss to offer a giant hand for falling to land upon. The skull crushing rhythmic blood and thunder offers offers neck snapping catharsis alongside the bellowed vocals from Gavin Edward Sharp, the track setting a bleak and oppressive tone for the album as a whole. Matching a six string guitar with a six string bass is part of what gives Survivalist their satisfying crunch, their groove orientated riffs orbiting around the pummelling percussion like the Earth around the Sun when it comes to follow up “Radio Bleed“. A powerhouse of meancing lyrics which scream of being crossed one too many times by someone once trusted are doubled down upon with a couple of Slam inspired throat gargling vocal moments and laced with scream-a-long ability. The surprise comes with the anguished cry to gods which don’t answer that are the clean vocal parts in in “Failure Of Being“, the band expand their horizons, opening the minds third eye with a crowbar. That adds a distinctive Metalcore depth and texture to the crushing DJent fuelled Deathcore Groove, demonstrating that the quartet have more to them than meets the eye before interlude “All Of Our Desires…” offers a thought provoking sonic break.

Former Chelsea Grin vocalist Alex Koehler joins the party for “Deathbed” as the band go back to their primal roots, embracing quirky off kilter DJentisms with technical prowess and rumbling bass. Each note feels like a body blow in system shock, the violent delight fading out to white noise when you least expect it. The violent turbulence makes way for a clean sung opening verse to “Weaponised God Complex” that feels like something of a palate cleanser for the mind before Gavin Edward Sharp’s delivers his trademark uncleans over dirge laden riffs that shift with power and intensity. A monster of a track that moves the bands overall sound into Progressive Deathcore territory, it feels like a moment that is both bold and brave while paying off handsomely. A couple of gut punch moments make a huge impact, leaving craters in their wake before arguably the biggest surprise of the record. Rapper Kid Bookie drops a verse at the start of “Speak Up (Louder)” as he did with Hacktivist, giving Survivalist the opportunity to give us a Nu-Metal inspired track. Rap screams are interwoven with brutal roars over chemical beats but you know what’s coming. It’s not long before brutal staccato riff breaks and eerie samples raise hell and you can hear the unease of the 1999 self titled Slipknot album in the churn and burn of this one. The band would of course released a cover “(sic)” by the Iowa natives in the build up to the album release. Their can be no doubting the vocal range and prowess of Gavin Edward Sharp and his death growls during the savage “…Ruined By Grief” are nothing short of throat splitting as he vents his spleen over the spine juddering guitars. The song itself feels like another unhinged descent into madness in the best possible way.

The clean vocals return for the powerhouse that is “Denial In Your Deception STOP PLS“, a track which showcases just how well Survivalist can juxtapose the melodic and the heavy in a single vessel. Possible only with careful deliberation and craft in forethought, they successfully introduce a couple of Metalcore styled passages with a dull ache that resonates lyrically without sacrificing any of their malevolent power. Things get darker with the twisted vine that grows that is “ROT (Redux)” a cut which may leave you wondering if the band would trust someone like Buster Odeholm with mixing and mastering their material in the future. This one has the power to slap the make-up off the face in one hit, the aching piano at the end a wonderfully melancholic touch. They’ve somehow manged to balance relentless aggression with melody, hooks and atmosphere on a knife edge throughout this record, keeping their sound fresh with creative innovative touches and little nuances and the result is something masterful. “I, Tyrant” continues that narrative with an anthemic chorus in amongst the bludgeoning sounds, the band putting plenty of bounce in the mosh pit with this one, exuding confidence with a clenched fist of defiance.

There was always going to be a twist in this tale and that comes with the achingly beautiful darkness of “How Do I Stop Thinking About Death“. Leaning into Progressive Metalcore influences the band bring clean vocals and programming to the forefront to paint a bleak picture of mental anguish before the cries of “Please help me!” open things up for a Deathcore verse. A powerful statement piece, this final crescendo has a dark yet epic beauty to it with real grit and integrity because this is real pain and these are real tears. You can feel it and it resonates. Against all the odds, Survivalist have managed to create a cohesive single entity of a record with great energy and flow, while at the same time taking risks with death defying leaps between sub-genres. The heavier parts hit like a building site wrecking ball while the surprising moments of emotive quality leave you in a dark place alone, something on paper that shouldn’t work together but sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone
2. Radio Bleed
3. Failure Of Being
4. All Of Our Desires…
5. Deathbed (ft. Alex Koehler ex-Chelsea Grin)
6. Weaponised God Complex
7. Speak Up (Louder) (ft. Kid Bookie)
8. …Ruined By Grief
9. Denial In Your Deception STOP PLS
10. ROT (Redux)
11. I, Tyrant
12. How Do I Stop Thinking About Death

“A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone” by Survivalist is out 30th January 2026 via Seek And Strike Records