_{Review By Cerrin Hendricks (@panicpreacher)}

Blackened nu-metal wunderkinds ‍Mélancolia are fast becoming a household name, their debut record HissThroughRottenTeeth having already made waves in the deathcore and metalcore scenes since its release in 2023. The success of their experimental debut garnered massive amounts of attention and landed them tours with the likes of Suffocation, Thy Art Is Murder and Ingested, to name a few.

Their eagerly anticipated sophomore effort random.access.misery is an expansion of their sonic template and mixes genres from nu metal, black metal, deathcore and industrial, resulting in a unique digital hellscape.

Album opener ‘ALL_IS_RUST‘ starts with a creepy atmosphere before assaulting the listener with sudden blast beats and chunky riffs, before switching to a cleaner verse with an emphasis on the bass groove. A solid opener with catchy writing and a fresh take on modern deathcore. The next track ‘icanseethroughtheholesinmyhands’ contains a lot more nu metal influence on the guitars, with a layered and textured mix reminiscent of classic Drowning Pool. The use of clean vocals on this track help the track feel dynamic, adding to the weight of the heavy vocals when they do hit.

‘Picking Scabs’ keeps up with the dense and layered approach to production and has some of the catchiest writing on the record, especially with regards to the rhythm section. The bass and drums really lock in to form a solid foundation under the layers of guitars, vocals and synths. The moody ‘Boiler.room’ is a perfect track to continue showcasing the groove of the rhythm section, allowing the bass to take centre stage for the first half the track. The second half is pure fury and ends with the tempo descending amidst a sea of analog and digital noise. 

‘Lithia‘ opens with a surreal clean intro and features more of the Deftones-esque moodiness of the previous track. Featuring Moodring vocalist Hunter Young, the stark contrast between the clean and heavy sections of this track result in a song that is both moody and manic in equal measures. ‘RoseBloomsWrist‘ showcases the clever writing between the guitars and the rhythm section, which create a creepy atmosphere along with eerie electronics that build up into a final act that veers off into post-metal territory. The ending hits hard both musically and emotionally. 

The industrial vibes of single ‘SPIT!‘, featuring Christopher Mackertich of DREGG, make for one of the catchiest and most experimental tracks on the record. Although not a fan of how the guest vocals were mixed into the track, I can appreciate the bold move to include his rapidfire vocals on the track at all. Once the chorus hits, it’s easy to hear why this was chosen as one of the singles leading up to the album release.

‘random.access.memory‘ throws us back into heavier territory, with a much greater emphasis on double bass and blackened guitar riffs. The nu metal influences are subtly and thoughtfully placed amongst the carnage permeating through the track. A worthy title track and a strong opener for the latter portion of the record.

The ending of this record feels like it exists across the last two songs, joined by name. ‘Cold Now…’ and ‘…Colder Still‘. Both of these songs offer the listener many moments to reflect. 

The somber cleans of the ‘Cold Now…‘ intro are haunting and break into a chunky wall of guitar over blast beats. The track overall is a bit slower and groovier and is one of my favorites on the record. There is a level of focus on this track that is unmatched and the production makes each note hold immense weight.

‘….Colder Still‘ follows a similar formula with the intro as the previous track, but takes it a step farther by making a far longer and more introspective clean intro. The melody is sad but hopeful sounding and the drums building up to the end of the intro are some of the most interesting present on the record. These long melodic refrains make the heavier portions of the track sound absolutely huge. The ending decides to go back into introspective territory as the final minute of the track focuses on a piano driven electronic piece.

A very solid experimental deathcore album that takes on some of the best elements from several metal genres and forms it into a cohesive weapon. It takes a few listens to get into the dense writing and artistic choices on this record, but it is well worth the time. 

This record is going to take them to bigger places, that is a fact.

8.5/10  

Mélancolia– random.access.memory is out now via Nuclear Blast Records and Greyscale Records.
Stream here.