ALBUM REVIEW: The Mission – Black Corona

Formed in the middle of the Alps, the unfortunately named BLACK CORONA come out of Innsbruck looking to make waves with a debut album, The Mission. Channelling the classic Swedish melodic death metal sound, they band are aiming to hit the heights of their melodeath influences like IN FLAMES, AT THE GATES and SOILWORK. Sadly due to a lack of memorable moments and the tendency to keep their foot on the brake throughout, their execution is ultimately far from the works of the golden age of Scandinavian melodeth.

The Mission starts in a reasonably positive manor as Sweet Shadow crashes open with some rapid footwork from drummer Fabian Straue thundering underneath a soaring guitar melody. It’s a solid opening. The bass rumbles underneath and the vocals kick in with an almost painful sounding yell. The emotion brought forth behind the screams is clear but they ultimately end up falling a little flat without any real depth to carry them through the entirety of the album. Areas tries to shake up proceedings by the inclusion of cleanly sung vocals in a style similar to Anders Fridén from IN FLAMES but again ends up feeling hollow and don’t carry enough power behind them to drive home the chorus. Synths dance in the background that gives it that Scandinavian/European feel. A short guitar break allows the track to breathe before heading back into the final chorus.

The mix is very low-end heavy, which causes the guitars to get lost in the ether, which is one of The Mission‘s biggest downfalls as the moments of subtle beauty that the guitars bring are hidden, only being brought to the forefront during the scattered quieter and more sombre moments throughout the record. Backdraft has a very fitting melodic flow towards the end of its runtime but it’s not until we get to fifth track Flow is where we start to see what BLACK CORONA can be capable of. A simple but infectious opening riff leads way into a more rapid-fire verse and another melodic chorus. It’s just a shame it’s taken them five tracks to find their stride.

Aterna is by far the album’s strongest track that shows that BLACK CORONA can produce memorable riffs and melodies while the vocals feel like they fit in alongside the instruments and are used sparingly rather than being forced upon you at every moment available. The drums stay solid throughout but tend to not stray from being just that. A few fills here or there to break up the double kick onslaught that outstays it’s welcome would have been a welcome addition.

There’s a lull again for the next couple of tracks before finishing with a flourish on closer The Night Eternal which graces us with a haunting intro before unleashing with beefy riffs and melodies for days. The guitar work again breathes life into the track and creates an epic crescendo until it’s fadeout. There is promise here, but with a real distinct lack of variation in tone and speed, the album gets old fast and doesn’t have enough going for it to keep you around for a second helping.

The Mission is not without its positives and there is talent within the band just bursting to shine through but BLACK CORONA have played it a little too safe with their debut, creating what is essentially a decent but underwhelming mid-tempo melodeath slog. If they can harness the soaring melodies and build on the flashes of exciting riffs, these guys could create a record worthy of being named alongside their influences.

Rating: 4/10

The Mission is set for release May 22nd via Art Gates Records. 

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