Review : Benjamin Coe
IF you’re anything like me, you’ve most certainly heard the name The Gloom In The Corner thrown around the heavy music scene in recent years accompanied with quite a bit of hype, whether it be for their energetic live shows or masterful storytelling through their very own genre-bending, and somewhat mind-warping, musical abilities. Combining elements of death, thrash and just plain old heavy metal added with a healthy dose of metalcore and even some alt-rock influences thrown in just to make things interesting, this Melbourne quartet are pushing the boundaries on their own terms and it is paying off BIG TIME!
“Let me paint you a picture…” vocalist Mikey Arthur declares on opening track From Heaven To Hell before launching into a sprawling, cinematic tale of 3 lost souls journeying from the “Rabbit Hole” dimension desperately trying to fight their way back to Earth. The next 3 songs go on to introduce the characters one at a time through a spattering of guest artists, starting with the Girl Of Glass who is expertly voiced by Monique Pym of Sydney metallers Reliqa on the song Obliteration Imminent.
The next track is the eponymous Ronin whose guest star is none other than Ryo Kinoshita of Japan’s own metalcore masters (and Gloom’s label mates) Crystal Lake. With growls aplenty and the fury in which not only the vocals are delivered but also in which the music is put across (frantic riffage and dangerously dancing keys are the order of the day here), Ronin proves one of the heaviest tracks on offer here.
The final character to come into play is the Queen Of Misanthropy who is introduced on blistering track Black Rot with a fantastic guest spot from Monica Strut of The Last Martyr. Another brutal offering here leads into soaring choruses and wailing guitar solos before descending once again into absolute chaos and despair, with Mikey Arthur proclaiming “You don’t know shit about sacrifice, I’ve bled for everyone I loved!”
The guest spots don’t stop there though, it seems the boys have invited ALL their friends to contribute to this most excellent tale, with features from Lauren Babic of Red Handed Denial on latest single Pandora’s Box, Elijah Witt of US band Cane Hill on Red Clouds and most notably Ryan Kirby of Fit For An Autopsy on the epic closing number Gatekeeper.
The almost spasmodic chaos expertly conveys the mess these characters are in and truly paints the picture of a relentless battle for sanity and freedom and while cemented heavily within a thematic rock opera, the messages and subjects dealt with here are not only relatable but extremely pertinent in todays everchanging, fast-moving world. The Gloom In The Corner are destined for big things for sure, so best you be jumping on this bandwagon now!
The Gloom In The Corner – ‘Trinity’ is out Friday October 28 via SharpTone Records
https://bfan.link/gloom-trinity
