Purification

Though it may seem counter-intuitive given the sub-genre's reputation, deathcore is actually very conducive to the idea of merging with a progressive attitude towards songwriting and all the stylistic eclecticism that goes with it. This is rarely pursued for some strange reason, as most bands will settle for a highly formulaic blend of brutality, hardcore trappings and the occasional melodeath or slam-styled breakdown element that is a bit jarring at first, but wears thin after the third song on the album has reached about the halfway point. But when this road is pursued, as it is quite aptly so on the Purification EP, the latest out of independent Canadian deathcore proponents Dawning Of The Inferno, the result is something that has the ability to be relatively formulaic without being overly gimmicky, if not outright boring as a result.

Deathcore, like just about every modern cousin of death metal, is generally an impact-based style where things focus on the rapid pace of the drums and the unified stomp of the guitars and bass (if present), thus resulting in a sort of monolithic percussive machine that is further accented by a percussive assortment of barely intelligible barks and shrieks out of the vocalist. This EP has all of that in spades, and actually finds itself switching up between a Gojira brand of grooving and some outright Meshuggah-like djent here and there, but introducing a progressive element means introducing varying strains of atmospheric interplay, and these come primarily in the form of droning high leads that are sometimes reminiscent of the dissonant hanging pitches that Jeff Loomis would combine with Nevermore's mostly percussive backdrop.

To be sure, the goodies and trick elements don't stop there, as this band definitely has a technical side to their craft. Occasionally a somewhat more adventurous riff reminiscent of Suffocation or Cryptopsy will work its way through the sea of droning leads and rhythmically precise stomps, but the real kick to the head is the wild guitar solos that occur on "Summoning" and "False Prophets", both of which are wild enough to trade blows with the flashy virtuoso work that occurs on a Revocation or Decrepit Birth album. There are even a few ambient elements thrown in that don't correspond to the typical horror film clip to give this EP a sense of introduction and conclusion, and the album's lone instrumental offering "Rebirth" see this band making a brief foray into jazz ballad territory with solid results.

This is definitely on the stronger side of the deathcore coin, largely because in spite of being titled Purification, it excels because of the impurities relative to the style that are thrown in. The only thing that is really typical about this album by deathcore standards is the vocals, which are largely one-dimensional and take a backseat to the guitars and drums, and the fact that the bass just sort of drones along with the rest of the arrangement and doesn't quite come through to any noticeable degree. It's a cut above the rest that only really suffers to any degree because it shies away from becoming a full out technical display and keeps the moments of sheer intensity just a tad too few and far between.