Before I even laid eyes once on the glorious pixel art that adorns Calamity, From Dying Suns had sold me on their debut promise of progressive death metal. Hailing from the great French north of Quebec, and pulling performers whose live credentials include heavyweights like First Fragment, Augury, and Obliveon, this side-scrolling informed album, this full-length offering stood before itself with veteran swagger. It’d be amiss to call this a supergroup, though, as many of the associated acts that comprise this mostly untested group—a single EP from a while back under their banner—staked their claim separate from the contributions of the names on roster here. From Dying Suns, then, has something to prove in this fairly crowded field of high bombast, high-tech strain of noodle-strewn death arts. But have they enough quarters to see it all the way through?
Whatever From Dying Sun may lack in quarters, they make up for in sheer exuberance for their brand of bass-forward, rifftacular technical, and melodic death metal. At least, that’s what Calamity comes off as to me. Much in the same vein as thrash-tempo arpeggio-rippers like the early works of Revocation and Arsis, each track across this fret-exhausting offering—the sweep-and-slay of “Calamity” to the classic Gothenburg descent of “Undergrowth”—can’t stop delivering riffs. To prevent from being too exhausting, though, From Dying Suns rips a page out of their local scene, reminiscent of acts like the brutally elegant Neuraxis or the wailing-yet-churning Martyr, often leading with an upfront refrain or lead to signal fresh beginnings. And I know I already mentioned that From Dying Suns takes their low-end seriously, but I cannot stress enough how forward Christian Pacaud (Contemplator, Aeternum1 sits rattling away as if wielding a fat-bottomed rhythm guitar role (particularly on “Claustrophobic” and “Ruination”).
Calamity is still a lot to take in, as you might expect of any work of this level of technical density. As such, its forty minutes can be intimidating, but many of the layers maintain a natural harmony despite what can at first feel dizzying. The truth is, there are rhythm guitar lines, and lead guitar melodies, and basswork following and trampling over and around the two—and snarling, chaotic vocals cutting about every which way. From Dying Suns, fortunately, has the talent and mixing space2 to avoid falling into a trap of their own multithread weaving. Tracks that deliver moments of skronky chord-based progressions (“Turn Undead,” “Ruination”) help to break the smattering of hyperspeed pull-offs and precision-tuned arpeggion runs serve as sugar-rush fodder for those with a wanky sweet tooth. And mid-album ambient segue “Respite” too lulls the ever-feeding fingers and picks that From Dying Suns fuels liberally.
Despite finding a rollicking home in the arrays of tablature challenges that Calamity carves, I often find my mind drifting toward what From Dying Suns channels rather than the unique theme for which the band aims. This work contains many elements that attack the genre from an angle that other bands don’t—the practiced and forceful bass rhythms, Mathieu Dhani’s (Killitorous, Épiphanie) wild and whipping shrieks and howls—and it’s impossible to ignore the level of skill on display. But at the moments where it aims to hook the hardest, namely with simpler chorus structures and vocal patterns, many of the most impressive moments across Calamity begin to blur amongst the most memorable moments among heavy hitters like Arsis or The Black Dahlia Murder. Granted, these bands command respect, and music that resembles theirs is often good music. But when the theme visually pops on the page, and the band reinforces that Calamity is a hero’s journey through a landscape inspired by their favorite video games, I’d rather find my way through a soundscape that resembles that rather than just good melotech.
Nevertheless, From Dying Suns can’t help but charm with their aesthetic and musical command. Tonally, Calamity has a strong enough presence on its own to steer toward its own lane from up-and-comers in the same competitive space, names you may have heard in these halls like Carnosus or Xoth. And, like those acts, From Dying Suns, despite not capturing strongly the specifics of their narrative, maintains a playfulness that owes to the digital lands that they’ve mused about with Calamity. I’ve got confidence that From Dying Suns is far from closing the cover on this swinging battlefield of fanciful death metal. So even if this debut full-length isn’t quite it, its future sequel surely lurks around the corner waiting to strike.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: PCM3
Label: Self Release
Websites: fromdyingsuns.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fromdyingsuns
Releases Worldwide: May 3rd, 2024
