Impending Doom - There Will Be Violence

Deathcore
Facedown Records

Impending Doom

There Will Be Violence

Review rating:

1.5

User rating:

Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5

Despite the probability that Impending Doom will be cut some slack on There Will be Violence for the simple fact that, now after two full-length ventures into the deathcore genre, they’re finally showing some diversity, it’s not enough, by any means, to correctly tout it as a step in the right direction - at least, not in the sense that they’re becoming more innovative. No, the album’s standard deathcore fare, for the most part. And regardless of whether or not there are tracks like the surprising "Love Has Risen," where the synthesis of metal and alternative rock elements is effective rather than completely predictable, it’s a creative rut.

It's vital and extremely easy to realize that this album’s hardly any different than its predecessors; and in case you were wondering, it still is an example of the "you can predict where every breakdown, verse, et. al will come in at" cliché. It’s not such a large fault on its own, obviously, but the fact that it intrudes on and abhors so much is an offense all to itself. Be clear, ninety percent of this album is "junz."

If that’s not become clear by the time the deadening pace of "Walking Through Fire," strikes, then by the time the denouement, "Children of Wrath," kicks into gear, it’s inevitable. You know There Will be Violence like the back of your hand. It’s disturbing how accurate predictions with this album become. The incessant chugging, the throaty roars, the "let’s beat a dead horse" breakdowns - all of it is completely expected. Sure, there are thrash riffs this time around; there are lulls, too. However, the insignificance of these events either forces them to become forgettable in the not-so-grand scheme of things, or they end up destroying bits of the album. The thrash rhythms on "Orphans" and its predecessor, "Violence" are distracting, as the inclusion comes across as haphazard syncretism rather than a natural progression. Luckily, it keeps you from the insipid stupidity of the incessant down-tuned chug.

Literally, if the band possesses any sort of musical prowess, they left it at the recording studio’s door, opting for prehistoric simplicity, or perhaps some demented, laughable take on "groove." The drums fly by a few tom-sections every now and then, but five or six occurrences of a single disparate element does not innovation make. Most of the low-end staples are beyond repetitive and "un-fresh," and the reverberating drums come across as a laughable dive into a fad - the combination of supposed "brutality" with slick production. It’s a real knee-slapper, right?

Well, the vocal department lays on the opposite side of the spectrum. Raspy barks are the main course with some spoken word samples thrown arbitrarily here and there. Count that as another fad they partake in. Throaty yells litter the otherwise predictable "The Great Fear," which toys with derivative melo-death influences and meaningless breakdowns. Any sort of technicality on this track seems forced though, as if it was required, and it doesn’t necessarily hark back to the days of the genre’s beginnings - it resembles a rehashed prototype. But overall, that’s the feeling you get when listening to There Will be Violence. It feels like a rough draft at a decent record, filled with far too many half-baked ideas and stereotypes to achieve its potential. And though a sliver of it is there, in the context of all this arbitrary jibber-jabber, it is lost and gone forever.

• Track Listing
• Artist Biography