ALBUM REVIEW: At The Somber Steps To Serenity – Xorsist

Although they only formed back in 2020, XORSIST have already grown to be one of the most promising up and coming death metal acts within the Swedish underground. The band’s debut full-length Deadly Possession was a solid if slightly muted slab of old school death metal that took a lot of its musical cues from classic Swedish acts like ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER and CARNAGE, and served as a decent introduction to the band. In the intervening 18 months since that album’s release, a lot has changed for the band; the line-up has almost completely changed, they have signed a deal with Prosthetic Records, and if their second album At The Somber Steps To Serenity is anything to go by, they have been seriously refining and perfecting their songwriting chops. This latest album is a massive step up from their debut, and may just be one of the finest records by an up and coming OSDM act in recent years.

A Life In Vain, a short, piano-based instrumental piece, sets a sombre and haunting tone straight away, lulling the listener in with something completely distinct from what is to come on this record. The album’s first fully fleshed out song, Carve It Out, is a weighty, monolithic start to the album proper, with its chunky guitar sound, domineering, sludgy bass and authoritative drumming taking a lot of its musical cues from Swedish death metal, notably the aforementioned likes of ENTOMBED and DISMEMBER, without feeling like a cheap imitation. The searing, rasping vocals carve through the mix, punctuating the beefy hooks and dense tone with an acerbic edge that complements the music perfectly.

Blessed By The Divine, a shorter and faster offering than the preceding track, utilises angular guitars and couples them with frenetic drumming, rumbling bass and coarse vocals, all of which contribute to a tighter and energetic feel that shows just how impressive and imaginative the classic death metal formula can be if used correctly, creating an interesting and dramatic piece of music in the process. Imitation is a great slab of groove-laden death ‘n’ roll with punk-inflected drums, grating riffs and varied vocal performances, all backed by a meaty bassline that, as on earlier tracks, does a lot to add depth to an already massive sound, making this an energetic and inspired effort. Coterie Of The Depraved, a short, sharp shock of a song, proves to be one of the album’s catchiest tracks, due in no small part to the magnificent leads and adventurous rhythms which shift between hefty, mid-paced sections and rabid ones with ease. The vocals, likewise, feel visceral, and match up well with the driving approach of the music to further cement this song’s impact.

Banished To Obscurity, with its use of cleaner tones and a ponderous, slow-burning style, is a dark change of pace that again showcases the cinematic touches the band apply to their music, before shifting into the sort of lean, fierce death metal that works so well on the preceding tracks, with blistering flourishes and melodic leads that still make lots of room for discordance, broadening the album’s sound whilst still keeping one foot firmly planted within its established formula. Distorted Shapes pairs cavernous rhythms with biting, savage guitars and throaty gutturals, and has the sort of timeless, punishing feel and dirty mix that is typical of Sweden’s best 90s death metal acts – again without feeling like a carbon copy. This is the sort of track that many of the genre’s early pioneers would be proud to call their own, and it’s yet another stand out on a record full of them.

Grace continues in a similar vein, with driving drums, focused, jarring guitars and bestial vocals all crafting a sinister sound with lots of excellent, catchy moments, serving as a brief burst of brutality which could easily have been twice as long without outstaying its welcome. Darkened Wings, another fleeting interlude not unlike the album’s opener, utilises soaring acoustic guitars and subtle ambience, acting as a fantastic segue leading into the album’s final, titular track. This expansive, gargantuan slab of death metal brings together all of the best components of this band’s style in one place, from huge, primal rhythms to caustic melodies, touches of death ‘n’ roll and even some acoustic flourishes, crafting a layered and eclectic piece of music that fills this sprawling and ambitious closing effort with some incredibly adventurous musicianship and makes for an epic and powerful conclusion that brilliantly caps off an equally impressive record.

With the overwhelming majority of old school death metal acts, it’s easy to hear their influences, but there’s very little in the way of imagination when it comes to developing hooks and creating peaks and valleys within a record that keeps the listener engaged. In short, more often than not they are just peddling a weak imitation of something much better. This is one of the few cases where an album of this style not only acts as a great tribute to that style, but also manages to be on a similar creative level as its source material. At The Somber Steps To Serenity is full of great tracks which all possess that classic style and production that many 90s death metal bands did, but has enough talent and songwriting ability within it to keep the listener immersed past reasons of pure nostalgia. The level of musical maturity here is impressive, considering how young the trio still are. Hopefully, still being so early into their musical lives, the members of XORSIST will hit their creative peak well into the future, and with albums like this, it’s clear they are more than capable of rising to those expectations.

Rating: 9/10

At The Somber Steps To Serenity is out now via Prosthetic Records.

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