Album Review: Ov Sulfur – The Burden Ov Faith
Reviewed by Liam True
Two years since their inception, singles and an EP being released Ov Sulfur have finally made their debut album, The Burden Ov Faith a reality and have instantly become one of the hottest bands in the deathcore scene. While a lot of bands are following the Lorna Shore, coined Lorna-Core, Ov Sulfur have stepped back in that regard.
Present in tracks such as Befouler & Unraveling, both of which have absolutely furious guest appearances from Alex Terrible & Taylor Barber respectfully, they stay more grounded to their metalcore roots rather than getting to make themselves sound like a carbon copy. The addition of clean vocals from Chase Wilson and metalcore growls gives them a sense of their own identity. Death Ov Circumstance & destructive opener Stained In Rot are both pure deathcore in a nutshell, although Death Ov Circumstance includes a blistering guitar solo from Chase Wilson with clean vocals intertwined that make an impactful ending of the track
Ricky Hoovers demonic vocals really shine throughout the entire album as he’s putting in all of his emotion and effort behind his performance which really beefs up the impact made from his approach on I Apostate between his high screeches to his earth-shattering lows as drummer Leviathvn switches between blast beats, machine gun double kicks and his complex drum fills. Wide Open features a surprising feature from Howard Jones of Light The torch, which at first sounds weird to see him featured on a deathcore song but he fits in perfectly with his distinct cleans adding to the song making it feel more destructive. The addition of cleans to a deathcore album makes it unusual but it fits the piece of the puzzle that most bands miss. Album closer The Burden Ov Faith features Kyle Medina of Bodysnatcher and Lindsey Schoolcrat formally of Cradle Of Filth. With the slower instrumentals and atmospherics, it’s a beautiful ending song filled with riffs, hooks and singalong moments with Schoolcraft’s vocals almost echoing through the track as Hoover & Medina’s vile abilities take centre stage as the soundtrack to the end of the world.
The layers to the album are absolutely mind boggling. From cleans vocals to inhuman sounding growls are immaculate. The symphonic atmospherics are simply there to enhance the songs and push the boundaries further. If there’s a band to lead the charge on singalong deathcore, it’s Ov Sulfur and they’ve turned the genre on its head while adding their own spin creating a beautifully constructed album.
