The Wretched Sounds
Deathcore is a polarizing genre. Some people love it, and some people hate it with a passion that burns hotter than a Norwegian church in the 90's. The genre doesn't really help itself either, with most of the more popular deathcore acts in recent years being carbon copies of the first few to gain success, all creating the same, overproduced, chugging nonsense all in the name of "brutality". However, there are a few bands that break the mold and create something that is truly brutal and truly heavy; something that accomplishes the goal set out which is rarely achieved by the other bands who claim to be doing the same thing.
Meet Nott, the solo deathcore project of Alaskan native Tyler Campbell. Nott formed in 2012 and proceeded to release 3 EPs in as many years, each one getting stronger and more bleak than the last. In 2014, Nott stopped releasing music and began to tease what would become his best work. That release would become known as The Wretched Sounds. This leviathan of an album was released in late May of 2018, and built upon the sound that Tyler had already set as a foundation, creating an album that is more aggressive and heavier as a whole, as compared to his other EPs such as Abyssal or Obsidian Depths. The atmosphere that this album creates is an immense, looming sort of demise that you can feel in your chest as the pounding riffs and deep, resounding bass create a pit in your chest.
The guitar work in this album is quite solid, the constant changes between brooding chugs and quick, powerful riffing creates an atmosphere of intensity and tension, releasing the built up rage in immense bursts. Tyler aims to create something heavy - and through the guitars, he succeeds. The bass-filled mixing boosts the overall intensity present throughout the entire album, even in the longer, more atmospheric songs, as they provide a level of power that not many other albums in deathcore can mimic. The drums are also great in this manner, as the punchy kick drums ride behind the guitars and add that extra thump that's needed to pound your chest along with the relentless rhythmic structure. The drumming can be quite simple at times, but it actually helps the overall sound, not detracting from the pounding guitar or the vocals and instead just providing that backing kick that brings the whole album together.
Despite my praise for the strength of the instrumentation in this album and how well they are executed, I believe that the vocals are probably the pinnacle of this album. Tyler Campbell has some of the nastiest lows in deathcore, bringing nothing but pure power to the table with how intense his vocal lines are. He may not have the guttural capability or the screeching highs of vocalists such as Dickie Allen, but his lows make up for it with how well presented they are. Not only are Tyler's vocals great for this situation, but vocal features from deathcore mainstays Tyler Shelton and CJ McMahon round out the performances in this album. Shelton's visceral-as-always vocals are utilized perfectly at the end of the title track, The Wretched Sounds, and CJ's unique sound finds it's place in the song Terminus I: Barren. Overall, the vocal line up in this album is a force to be reckoned with, and it only adds to the pounding heaviness that Nott brings to the table. Be on the look out, as this could be one of the premiere deathcore acts in the next few years.
Final Score: 89/100
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