Album Review: Distant - Heritage
Reviewed by Liam True
Having popped up on my radar with their 2020 EP Dawn Of Corruption, Distant have been a band who has continuously blown my mind with every release that’s followed. Whether or not it’s their singles, EP’s or even their full-length Aeons Of Oblivion, their unique blend of downtempo deathcore mixed with elements of slam metal provide enough material that it doesn’t bore you with each release.
Album intro track Acid Rain is an atmospheric journey with hints of gritty guitars, an echoing snare drum and a sense of dread not knowing what’s going to follow on Paradigm Shift. As Acid Rain comes to its climactic close Paradigm Shift hits you in the face with an explosive full band effort with a breakdown that’ll melt your face off. As Alan Grnja’s vocals tear you apart, he flawlessly switches between his tectonic plate shifting low growls and his high’s that on times push Will Ramos off the throne of deathcore king. Toward the middle of the song, you’re greeted with a vile guitar tone from Nouri Yetgin as a voice announces ‘This is Paradigm Shift’ as the band burst into a slower breakdown with Grnja’s vocals hitting you in the back of the throat.
Born Of Blood starts with the echoing drum work of Jan Mato as the band again burst into their blend of downtempo deathcore. One thing you’ll notice about this album is Grnja’s vocals are more diverse as the previous EP’s and albums have been more focused on his growls and low vocals but on Heritage he’s branching out more into the higher scream territory and its working phenomenally as his highs are sometimes even more powerful than his lows and the placements fit in well with The Grief Manifest as the song includes some of the meatiest riffs Distant have laid down in their career so far. Exofilth is hands down the most chaotic and downright heaviest piece of material the band have ever pressed to disk. The crunchy guitar tones, the machine gun like drumming and the most violent vocal work so far of 2023 makes this song the ultimate circle pit anthem.
Argent Justice, while being the last single from the album is the most diverse as it has vocal appearances by vocalists from Aaron Matts (Ten56) to Eddie Hermida (Suicide Silence) and a multitude of more. This song alone is the most dizzying with all the vocal swapping, half of the time you can’t even make out who’s voice is who’s. That doesn’t stop it from being a symphonic ridden track. The background ambiance makes the song fit perfectly in the album as without it, the track would be a messy addition, but it perfectly reflects the band, but falls a bit flat from being the centre piece of the album as many of us thought it may be.
The Gnostic Uprising is a throwback of sorts to Tyrannotophia as it’s more of a brooding downtempo song and shows you how far they’ve developed their sound from an almost dystopian wasteland feeling to the filth ridden producing band we know today. A Sentence To Suffer & Human Scum are powerful songs that show that Distant aren’t just a band that are predominantly chug based and can utilise their abilities as a band to form back-to-back heavy hitters.
Title track Heritage is a shining stand out. Some may think it’s from the guest vocals of Will Ramos himself but before and after his vocal delivery it’s a purely chaotic mess that makes you grimace and wonder how a band could emit a noise like this. Although Ramos’ vocals are a welcome addition, it’s not really needed because Heritage stands on its own feet before having them blown off.
By finishing track Plaguebreeder you’ve traversed through the minds of Distant and come out the other side of this absolute masterpiece of deathcore gluttony. Chewing you up and spitting you back out along the violent path that is Heritage. Don’t let the album art decieve you. You may think it’s taking the route of fellow Slovenians, Within Destruction, having great album art but going the more melodic metalcore way of noise. But Distant have stayed true to their previous efforts and have dug deeper into the aching pit of putridity. To be completely bunt with you, it’s a filthy, disgusting degrading deathcore album filled with more slams than you can count. Phenomenal.
