A Scar For The Wicked makes its debut album official.
After a demo and three EPs, the Canadian band comprising Nick Rodgers (drums, Serene Dark, Sons of the Nether), Joe Moon (guitar/artwork, Sovereign Council), Adam Semler (guitar, Sons of the Nether, Harmoniaq), Andre Dubien (vocals, Harmoniaq, live for Sons of the Nether) and James Kassis (bass) unveil Acolythus, with support from Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy).
The aggression kicks in as early as Seven Wraiths, a first composition that places piercing leads over a lively rhythmic pattern complemented by vociferations, as well as a few howled choruses. The riffs don’t seem able to slow down until The Ophidiant Offspring takes over, unveiling more impressive passages while retaining the threatening jerky tones, but the sound cuts off abruptly to let Drowned In Gluttony impose its suffocating slowness. The musicians suddenly speed up, introducing more complex lead parts and majestic keyboards, but Golden Touch Of Eternity brings us back to the rage and devastating double pedal, where the technical approach on a high tempo is the order of the day. There’s never a dull moment on this track, and Despicable Existence never fails to deploy catchy moshparts between eruptions of melodic violence, making it a highly versatile piece before moving on to the darker Acolythus, where we’re greeted by ethereal keyboards. It’s not long before the rest of the band make a smashing entrance, whether on the devastating instrumental or the incessant ranting, but Into A Coalescent Damnation intends to bludgeon us in its turn from the outset, redoubling its efforts to leave us no respite. Sacrificial Genocide, on the other hand, allows us to catch our breath with an epic, progressive introduction to the explosion, punctuated by harmonics and cadence changes, before the album comes to a close with Son Of Dawn, which places its vicious riffs at odds with the softer Symphonic samples, creating an interesting contrast.
With Acolythus, A Scar For The Wicked develops a Deathcore with multiple influences: whether it’s in the aggressiveness – the majority on this album – or in the more impressive moments, the musicians perfectly know how to captivate us.
85/100
Interview coming soon.