2nd May 2025

Review: “Desolation” by Naugrim

“‘Desolation’ isn’t just about pain—it’s about that surreal, numbing oblivion where the world changed and moved on, and you’re left behind. We wanted to capture how grief isn’t linear; it’s complicated, angry, and sometimes strangely beautiful. This song is for anyone who’s stared at the ceiling at 3 AM, wondering how to keep breathing.” ~ Greg McManus, vocals

Hailing from the mist-shrouded peaks of the Blue Mountains, Australian Melodic Death Metal force Naugrim have been blazing a trail since 2021. Rising to prominence with debut EP “Adversity” in 2023 with a sound that is equal parts melancholy and fury, the current and former members of Celestial Oath, Kania and Carnal Viscera have found a way to convey serious emotional weight. Mixed and Mastered by Chris Themelco (Escarion, In Malices Wake, Flaming Wrekage) at Monolith Studios Melbourne‬, a fresh twin track affair finds the band continuing their journey down the left hand path…

…all the way to “Desolation” a cut that takes the essence of the 2003 American Metalcore sound that was inspired by the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound and makes it sing. Earworm riffs from Matt Perry and Luke Boyd wrap around galloping drums from Mal McManus in a way usual reserved for bands like As I Lay Dying or Darkest Hour but its the raw emotive lyrical narrative that resonates the most. The pain in Greg McManus vocal performance gives the track a real grit and integrity as the bass from Tom Slash rumbles beneath him and the sense of melancholia draws you in like the gravitation pull of a black hole. Fleeting soloing in the final moments adds a tasteful sheen, the sonic balance resting on a knife edge. Themelco deserves a lot of credit for his work at the mixing desk, he’s given the band a clean, crisp drum sound with which to inflict their damage as well as a crushing guitar tone. A fight for survival plays out in “Bitter End” as the five piece maintain their perpetual forward motion in slick style. McManus offers up a scream-a-long with your fist in the air narrative as the riffs create a whirlwind around him, subtle tempo changes and a brutal death growled moment increasing the intensity as the pot threatens to boil over. This time around the solo is more involved, an extended face melter that continues into the final verse in stunning fashion. If this pair of dark tunes to help you breathe more easily doesn’t see Naugrim depart for foreign shores and bigger stages then there is something wrong with the World [7.5/10]

Track Listing