ALBUM REVIEW: Damnum – Allegaeon

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that ALLEGAEON have added so many metalcore-isms to their new album. It’s a move they’ve been telegraphing for quite some time now, and their latest album Damnum sees these ‘core’ elements buy even more shares in the Colorado natives’ tech death empire. Known and revered for their intricate playing and a blast beat littered discography, they have opted to mix things up further with this outing and for the most part it works pretty well.

The kind of detail driven tech death that we’re used to from the band was never going to be easy to mix with more melodic, soaring choruses and long sweeping sections of clean vocals – something which is largely new to the band. ALLEGAEON’s willingness to attempt this is probably as impressive as anything. They could have opted for a safety shot and played by their own rulebook, but instead they opted to expand their horizons and try something new. It’s an admirable trait in any band; you run the risk of agitating the section of your fanbase that just want to see you write the same album on repeat, while hoping that you can appeal to a wider pool of listeners by adding depth and versatility to your sound.

One thing is for sure, Damnum does seem to position ALLEGAEON as somewhat more marketable than they were before. That’s not to say that they weren’t already astounding musicians, but there is a sense of accessibility this time around that will stand them in good stead amongst a wider pool of listeners. The clean vocals offer a break from the crushing gutturals that sit amidst blackened growls and more traditional death metal vocals. Both ends of the spectrum are pretty good but hearing this kind of adjustment in an ALLEGAEON album does take a little mental adjustment on the listener’s part.

There are more riffs, often heavy and driving, which chug and shred while adding classical and flamenco influences which we have heard before on previous albums. This attention to detail has always been one of the band’s strengths but now the intricacy fights alongside more expansive, almost sing-along choruses that latch onto our eardrums in memorable fashion. Whether this is for better or for worse will be down to personal interpretation.

The consensus is likely to be a little mixed for Damnum. There are lots of positives to take away – largely in the incredibly talented musicianship – but there is still the risk of it falling between the cracks of two drastically different styles of metal that they perhaps haven’t quite knitted together perfectly. It’s a solid effort, and a record more than worth anyone’s time, and time will tell whether this is a direction that ALLEGAEON continue to pursue.

Rating: 7/10

Damnum is out now via Metal Blade Records.

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