Genre : Mathcore, Djent
Released : September 14th, 2023
Label : Self-release
FFO : Frontierer, Car Bomb, Loathe
Dead Soma might just be one of the most overlooked gems in the underbelly of the djentier side of the mathcore scene right now, perhaps even less specifically : in current underground heavy music altogether.
Although the existence of this Swedish trio is very recent, having only started to show signs of life in late 2021 before releasing their debut EP "Faces Which No Mask Could Ever Conceal" during December of the same year ; the potential and especially the level of quality from this project has been ridiculously high from its inception.
The slamming down-tuned bassy syncopated chugs immediately brought Meshuggah to mind as an influence behind Dead Soma's music (but let's be real, at this point in time, which band dabbling with complex rhythms and extended range low tunings isn't influenced by Meshuggah in some shape or form?) and the relentless frantic pace, along with its digital, robotic, glitch-like feel and production style made comparisons with contemporaries and digit(ech)al chaos masters Frontierer near unavoidable.
As their first full-length release, "Pathos" allows Dead Soma to properly present the extent of their capacities and develop them further beyond the brief yet highly impactful thirteen minutes of material from their debut EP.
Not to be confused with UK sludge post-metallers Conjurer's last year exploration of the nature of human suffering with their sophomore album "Pàthos", Dead Soma's "Pathos" tackles themes of non-conformity and self-improvement within what appear to be, and can only be described as, oppressive, dystopian and somewhat futuristic scenarios.
Album opener "Carbon Blue" picks up on the energy left by the EP's abrasive finale, making it very clear that "Pathos" will be at the very least just as explosive of a release, if not even more as following track "Molecular Temperature" confirms with its hulking bass chugs and scraping mathy panic-chord shrieks setting the stage for vocal lines such as «We will never be the pacifists» while also displaying some of the versatility the band had already hinted at on "Discouragement", the longest cut from "Faces Which No Mask Could Ever Conceal".
Car Bomb is arguably another major influence behind Dead Soma's sound and tracks like "Scanner" on which the band puts guitar tone and effects experimentation at the forefront of their songwriting adds an unstable element of unpredictability, which greatly compliments the band's otherwise angular and mechanical style.
After a brief noise interlude, "Candor" could almost pass as a love letter to Frontierer given the amount of pitch-shifted pick-scrapes and other whammy pedal wizardry it includes, for which the aforementioned Scottish-Americans have become notorious for, as well as their disjointed vocal placings and accents while following a relentlessly fast-paced tempo and also throwing in some electronic breakbeats for extra glitchiness ; all of which are present here.
"For Your Time" is perhaps the first curveball on "Pathos" with it being the first fully melodic track that trades mathcore chaos for nostalgic, angsty nu-metal atmospheres reminiscent of KoЯn and Deftones before tapping into more contemporary influences with its Loathe-like outro.
The chaos resumes on "Chronos" which retains some of those aforementioned Loathe vibes but this time tapping into the more aggressive side of things, most notably expressed through the riffs themselves as well as the guitar tones.
Ambient interlude "Life And Limb" offers an agreeable moment of reflection and recollection before the onslaught resumes with "Error Blemish".
The short but experimental "Root" returns to the nostalgic, slightly industrial, nu-metal approach which "For Your Time" had previously introduced, with a spaced-out, mood-changing track that eventually shifts back into Dead Soma's characteristic pummeling and glitching mechanical sound.
The album's penultimate track offers one last short burst of abrasive futuristic mathcore, boasting a memorable outro breakdown during which vocalist Dennis Andersson confidently delivers the lines «Make no mistake, we will never fear you».
Dead Soma keep their most experimental card in hand up until the album's ten minute long, self-titled closing track.
It's not often that you see tracks reaching the ten minute mark in the mathcore realms, let alone them being an album's grand closing statement and yet this unconventional move works beautifully in the context of "Pathos" as this allows the band to muster a true sense of catharsis while leaving ample space for experimentation as they ask the question «What is your pathos?».
Starting off with elements of noise electronics, the track continually shape-shifts from gnashing ferocious mathcore that manages to feel bouncy (and dare I say it) even catchy, to uplifting clean sections that remind of Car Bomb or Exotic Animal Petting Zoo, especially when it comes to the vocal deliveries.
The question «What is your pathos?» is eventually answered in a surprisingly emotional finale but if you wish to know the answer, I must spur you on to find it out for yourself by taking the time to give "Pathos" a listen.
Some of the influences behind Dead Soma's music are apparent but it's almost as if the band wears them proudly on their sleeve while concocting something entirely all of their own, with a sound that is already easily recognizable after only just one EP and album.
Guitarist Robin Stenström and bassist Daniel Johansson's style of playing and riff-writing especially comes through as being both reverent to their influences while also pushing their own creativity and will to blend and push different extreme music sub-genres together forward.
Meanwhile vocalist Dennis Andersson does a fantastic job at integrating his vocals within such a chaotic and air-tight environment, embodying the mechanical feel of the nature of the band's music with his voice while also providing a surprising and welcome amount of versatility to the band's overall style.
The production is also a major element that makes "Pathos" so incredibly punchy for lack of better words, doing justice to the bass-driven tones of the album and striking a perfect balance between pristine and chaotic.
Seriously, this level of production quality deserves way more recognition than it is currently getting.
As a debut album, "Pathos" presents a very cohesive and memorable listen from a band with a firm vision and the means to achieve it ; and if this is Dead Soma only getting started, I think it's safe to assume there's gonna be some exciting things to come from this band in the future.
Unfortunately, "Pathos" might end up being amongst the more overlooked albums of 2023 when it comes to mathcore/djent/metalcore even though it is truly deserving of a regular spot on any fan of the aforementioned sub-genre's regular listening rotation.
However, don't let that deter you from giving "Pathos" the time it deserves, on the contrary!
You're guaranteed to get your socks knocked off, or at the very least, have a great time plunging into its world of frantic digital chaos.
(Dead Soma)