ALBUM REVIEW: Endless – Ov Sulfur
You don’t have to look far to find horrors in the world, but what if you had to endure them for eternity? So was the initial question that blackened deathcore outfit OV SULFUR asked when writing a follow up to debut record The Burden Ov Faith, going from an album that lambasted organised religion to one that held a mirror up to the idea of living forever, as so many walks of faith do. By questioning an endless life, the notion of endless suffering emerged, and from there so did Endless, the band’s sophomore record released via Century Media Records on Friday, January 16th.
There’s a good deal to admire here, one such particular being the vocal play between main singer Ricky Hoover and guitarist Chase Wilson. What was initially shown on The Inglorious Archetype from their debut has taken on a much more prominent role and it pays off well – Forlorn is probably the standout in terms of their interchanges, snappy and delivered with the efficiency of a world-class tennis rally. Musically, OV SULFUR largely keep on the deathcore path, but they’re not afraid to bring other elements in like the symphonic backings on the likes of Seed and Bleak which are reminiscent of DIMMU and CRADLE at their peaks, while they also step out into far more melodic territory such as the moving Wither and – even more noticeably – the closing Endless/Loveless, which is a full on ballad resplendent with acoustic guitars and some excellent clean vocals. To finish on a track that is to them what Snuff is to SLIPKNOT is a significant curveball, but after the sonic battering they’ve delivered over the previous forty minutes, it make for an excellent change of pace and, more poignantly, a glimmer of hope in the darkness they’ve conveyed otherwise.
Like The Burden Ov Faith, OV SULFUR have brought a few friends along for the ride, their contributions making a three-song curve in the second half. It starts with INGESTED‘s Josh Davies on Dread, the three vocalists forming a potent triple threat but overshadowed by a symphonic fade out into a huge breakdown in the middle of the track. Johnny Ciardullo from CARCOSA guests on the aforementioned Bleak, adding an extra dimension with his vocal power, while Alan Grnja of European outfit DISTANT lends his voice to A World Away, its sonorous chorus the highlight. The production deserves a mention as well – it’s clear, crisp and nothing sounds muddy or indistinct and Wilson, away from his vocal duties, has crafted some technically excellent guitar solos, ably supported by Christian Becker, making his recording bow with the band.
Deathcore has become a hotly contested genre over the past decade-and-a-half; there’s a lot of bands jostling for the spotlight and it means every album released is crucial if any of them wish to progress rather than crash. OV SULFUR still have a ways to go if they’re going to begin threatening the likes of THY ART IS MURDER for supremacy over all others, but with Endless they’ve taken a big leap forward.
Rating: 8/10
Endless is set for release on January 16th via Century Media Records.
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