So deathcore has been fading for a few years now. Even prior heavy weights Oceano, I Declare War, Impending Doom and Whitechapel barely registered with their respective last releases or bands are simply becoming more tech death metal (Abiotic, Job For a Cowboy).

But last year, New Jersey’s Lorna Shore released a solid little EP called Maleficum, and while certainly strictly within the confines of deathcore it added just enough elements by way of some synths, it stood put a little.

Not much has changed from the EP, except now you get 10 new songs, no do overs, which is always a plus of crumbling, down tempo (the new deathcore?) breakdowns, twiddly blasts, deep inhaled vocals, high screams and a scattering of orchestral synths and other traces of black metal. It’s not anything new and deathcore haters will still hate it, but as far as a flagging genre goes, Psalms delivers the goods in rather impressive, breakdown laden spades.

And if you are reading this review, that’s what you want to hear isn’t it? Well there are plenty. Especially those reeeeeally slow , low end, lumbering ones that seem to take for ever to end as heard on opener “Grimoire” or “White Noise”,personal favorite “Wretching In Torment” and blacker closer “Eternally Oblivion”. And the fast/blasty moments are OK as well as the like of “Infernal Haunting”  and “Death Gowns” delivers some solid, urgent ferocity, between breakdowns.

The synths are not overbearing or forced like say Winds of Plague, maybe comparable to Carnifex , but they are effective when used with Cradle of Filth like atmospherics to start and during “From the Pale Mist”, or scattered in the aforementioned “Grimoire”. But the vocals of Tom Barber are a bit overdone, his super deep, inhaled croaks and screams are the band’s weakpoint in my opinion, even if befitting the style.

Psalms served as a nice little teaser for Thy Art is Murder‘s Holy War, and I found my self appreciating simple, burly no brains breakdowns again throughout the album and Holy War. So maybe there’s a few death rattles left in deathcore yet?

[Visit the band's website]

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