4th November 2026

Review: “Into Despair” by Distant

“Driven by raw honesty and pure emotion, ‘Into Despair’ is an album born from personal battles and lived experiences. Every song carries pieces of each member’s own journey, with moments of pain, reflection, and resilience woven into a deeply intimate body of work. More than just a collection of songs, ‘Into Despair’ is a cathartic expression of vulnerability and a reminder that even in our darkest moments, grief is something we all share. It stands as the band’s most heartfelt and authentic statement yet, transforming personal suffering into something universally resonant.” ~ Distant

A fifth studio album from Dutch Downtempo Deathcore aggressors Distant who started their journey down the left hand path in 2014 is arguably a thing that should not be simply because bands, especially ones who live in perpetual darkness, don’t usually last this long. However the flame of the the quartet who comprise vocalist Alan Grnja, bassist Elmer Maurits, guitarist Nouri Yetgin and drummer René Gerbrandij has never burned brighter as they have established themselves as a genre titan. Blending brutal death metal, slam, noise and beatdown aggression with a hyper-dissonant soundtrack of impending doom, not to mention creating explorations into the darker corners of the human experience means this one is going to be a wild ride.

A one hundred and twenty second bombardment of explosive Downtempo Deathcore with a single line of lyric “The World” sets the tone in crushing fashion. It serves as an introduction to bedlam as the brutal stomp of “Nothing Left To Hate” clears the floor for two steppers with a sprinkling of whammy bar action to send a shiver down the spine. From the pummelling percussion to the rumbling bass and barbed guitar work everything sounds huge and thunderous as Grnja’s unhinged screams and towering harsh vocals float above them like a monument to misanthropy. The intensity creates a towering inferno with “Into Despair” the title track a classic example of what the quartet are capable of when they smash their skulls together. A punishing stompy churn and burn groove between passages of shifting tempo gives the track both depth and texture so by the end you’ll feel like you’ve been kicked by a horse.

Tyler Beam of The Last Ten Seconds Of Life is the first of four guests to grace the album, lending his throat to “Spirit“, a classic horror movie sample adding to the slam vocal inspirations as the pair go toe to toe to see who can spit the most venom. Sonically the track is a skull splitter that slaps hard with that undercurrent of darkness running through its veins which is exactly what you expect. The down-tuned distortions loom large as “Circle of Vultures” becomes a beast from the black depths, Gerbrandij bringing blast beats the mid section as Grnja burns through the lyric sheet using several different voices to create fresh angles of attack. “The Shallow Gaze” then sees the second of the guests make an appearance, this time Darius Tehrani of Spite venting his spleen over the bombastic bass and groove laden riffs… and when you hear that china cymbal ting you know they’re bringing it back. It might be a cliche but it works so well it sends a shiver down the spine. Resistance as they say is futile.

Haunting background sounds give “Veil of Paranoia” the edge of insanity as if to prove you can do atmosphere in Deathcore, the punishing grooves once again creating the push that makes you want to move, a call to the pit for a cathartic release of negative energy. Grnja doesn’t get anywhere near enough credit for his lyrics but there is plenty here thought provoking enough to make you want to read the cryptic writings from a page. “Desolation” hits like an combination of punches from a prize fighter building up to a knock out blow, the classic slow downs in this one rivalling the likes of Signs Of The Swarm and AngelMaker for the Deathcore crown. Ricky Myers of Suffocation may seem like an unlikely guest but he makes his presence felt on the heavy hitting “All Will Be (N)One” which finds Yetgin change things up with some interesting guitar sounds to chemically enhance the endless, restless and relentless chugging.

Underneath the weighty guitar tone of “Rat Torture” there is a classic Nu-Metal riff before it evolves into something with the power to smash through walls as the breakdowns pile up so high they’ll need a fleet of tow trucks to clean up the mess. It works because its a short, sharp, shock, the sub three minute duration meaning each cut has the force of a tactical nuclear missile strike and it never gets old. “Flesh and Nails” is the final cut to feature a guest as Kyle Medina of Bodysnatcher joins the party as another high calibre killer. It almost goes without saying that the vocals are so ferocious that they feel like a sandblasting for the ear drums. A funky bass line from Maurits introduces the lethal dose of Dutch hatred that is “The Shared Grief“, the track having a couple of tasty two step parts before the brutal ending which is straight out of a Stephen King movie. Once more with feeling? “Iron Knee” demonstrates the ability of Distant to create something both enthralling and captivating as they leave you gripping the pillow tight… [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The World
2. Nothing Left To Hate
3. Into Despair
4. Spirit (ft. Tyler Beam of The Last Ten Seconds Of Life)
5. Circle of Vultures
6. The Shallow Gaze (ft. Darius Tehrani of Spite)
7. Veil of Paranoia
8. Desolation
9. All Will Be (N)One (ft. Ricky Myers of Suffocation)
10. Rat Torture
11. Flesh and Nails (ft. Kyle Medina of Bodysnatcher)
12. The Shared Grief
13. Iron Knee