Album Debut: 'Pathos' by Blacksound
Album artwork for ‘Pathos’ by Colin Frangicetto
Artist: Blacksound
Genre: Metal / Metalcore
Reviewed Music: 'Pathos' (Debut Album, March 2020)
Release Date: March 27th, 2020 (Early Review on Dear Untitled: March 20th, 2020)
Track list: 7 Tracks (29 minutes, 13 Seconds)
“Calloused”
“Breed”
“Mannequin”
“Burden”
“Primal”
“Forget”
“12 Months”
Blacksound, 2020. Image via Blacksound
‘Pathos’ by Blacksound – Review by Nic Beardsley of Dear Untitled:
I heard them screaming.
I saw them beg.
You can't kill what is already dead."
- Excerpt from “Primal”
Creeping in through your headphones, the gritty vocals of Blacksound’s debut Album, ‘Pathos’ seeps through. “Calloused” and unrelenting, this collection of tracks about to unfold are steeped in dire emotional heartache, trauma, and grief - unveiling a darkened realm of jarring sounds, deep growls, and scattered reprieve. For fans of the current trend of metalcore / deathcore genres (think Dealer/Neon Graves/Varials ) the young LA/Tokyo metal act is rearing to make a sonic splash in the scene with ‘Pathos’.
“Pathos” - Definition: “a quality that evokes pity or sadness...”
The insertion into ‘Pathos’ is characterized outright by the slow burn of the opening track, “Calloused”. Throwing open the gateway to an abyss of grief and self pity, the lyrical indifference and lack of care perpetuate the extent of the track, allowing for a seamless transition, both lyrically and musically into “Breed” with the repeated lines:
“Screaming for Sound
Bonded By Blood
Nothing but Ashes
Nothing; I’ve become”
- Excerpt from “Calloused”/ “Breed”
The sequence of “Breed” begins very akin to “Calloused” - grim and menacing - however the strongest aspect to this entire album comes with Talyor’s impassioned vocals in the chorus: sliding from a longing clean verse into a coarse cry. Accenting the genuine agony of the content he is describing, this hallmark feature is driven home another handful of times by the track, and ultimately album’s, end.
“Mannequin”, the latest single from the band, is a well rounded, yet bruising chaser to the opening duo, which is entirely the theme to this album: brutality. Self loathing, hatred, and the battle of self worth are all overlying pieces in this portrayed personal climb. Struggling to overcome the slide of mental decline and becoming a mere shell of one’s self, “Mannequin” tackles the hollow void that grief leaves behind. In the process, a listener can glimpse a sliver of hope waiting on the other side - helping reclaim what you once were.
Supported by the structured, yet relaxed second single, “Burden”, ‘Pathos’ forges ahead, continuing to showcase Taylor’s fervent vocals. Listeners can argue that this saga would not be anywhere near as poignant if it weren’t for the gut splintering sincerity with which these screams and gutturals were brought to the album. Likewise, the lyrical depth truly drives the entire narrative home to the core.
When we spoke to Talyor about “Burden” he gave us this powerful insight to what he was thinking:
“....if we could move past the lies we told ourselves we could love just as intensely as we could hate or desire. That those who feel like burdens feel that way because they value love so much, they think it's so important, that not even they themselves are worthy of it. And when they are able to move past the view that they aren't, they will truly carry an everlasting gratitude and beauty within themselves. "This is the price we'll pay" is the line in the song that encapsulates the process perfectly. We "suffer to stay alive" and to grow into the people we've always been meant to be….” - Taylor (vocalist)
Stepping back, “Burden” can be viewed as a tipping point, or an upswing, if you will, to the embrace and acceptance of self worth, initiating with “Primal” (feat. Dana Willax of Kingdom of Giants) and concluding with “12 Days”. The chant, “...You can’t kill what is already dead...” from “Primal” quickly sticks as the lyrical axiom, but segues into what arguably are the best two songs on the album: “Forget” and “12 Days”. Everything until now has crafted this monumental pedestal. Granted, being the debut single from Blacksound (June 2019), “Forget” may be a “stockholm syndrome / knee jerk reaction” personal favorite however, the clarity and change of pace it provides to an otherwise virulent album is MASSIVE: an accepted reprieve, yet harnessing the same overwhelming sentiment.
“I can’t change,
I’ll die this way
I’ll just wait
Please forget me”
- Excerpt from “Forget”
Something about the burning rage and intensity pouring through the crevices of this work reveals to the core a VERY candid album - the savagery of self disgust and the path to recovery is nothing but transparent across this LP. To anyone suffering grief and loss, the setback and attempts to fill this chasm is numbing and quickly becomes a fight like this. For vocalist, Taylor, this was a very personal clash:
"I felt hateful as the world was pushing me to be". - Taylor (vocalist)
As for “12 Days”, well... I’d rather not spoil the saved “best for last” moment, aside from a single verse…
“It’s when you think that you’re lost, that you turn to the black.
Never lost, it can only be found.
If you’re broken, then welcome, all,
to Blacksound”
- Excerpt from “12 Months”
‘Pathos’, the debut album from Blacksound releases everywhere, Friday, March 27th, 2020. Don’t miss it. - Nic B.
Favorite Tracks: “12 Months”, “Forget”, “Primal”
Sleeper Tracks: “Forget” , “Primal”
FFO: Neon Graves, Dealer, Lotus Eater, Varials,
Blacksound, 2020. Image via Blacksound
From Previous Coverage: