Soul Diminished

I haven't listened to too much death metal with hardcore influences… I'm not too big of a fan of Gatecreeper, which is probably the current face of this niched brand of death metal, but Celestial Sanctuary definitely feels more aggressive than the aforementioned Americans. These UK death metallers have some absolutely pummeling grooves and a thick production, but it ultimately lacks staying power due to every song following a very similar formula.

There's a good helping of meaty riffs littered throughout this record, simple, catchy and aggressive, which is all you could ask for this type of extreme metal. The pinch harmonics add good accents to the riffs and add a little extra juice to the aggression without feeling too gimmicky. The vocals are especially tortured, wailing away over the music just at the right times, and this vocalist certainly portrays a lot of emotion and anger, and sometimes even fear and angst.

The production is thick, albeit inoffensive and basic. The drums have a nice sound, particularly the kick drum which has a crisp, full feeling that shines when administered at high speeds. The bass is unfortunately drowned out, which is disappointing because I would like to hear this album with a punchier bass sound added into the mix. Everything else is mixed well, but, like I said, inoffensive and doesn't stick out too much. Still, better to have something basic and worthwhile than try something new and fall flat on your face.

If you're like me and find Frozen Soul underwhelming and boring as all hell, give Celestial Sanctuary's debut record a try. They have that Bolt Thrower-esque sound mixed with hardcore elements that might scratch the itch you've been looking for. It might not be the greatest death metal you've heard all year, but it certainly packs a punch and will keep your attention for a good amount of listens.