Genre : Deathcore
Released : January 14th, 2022
Label : Good Fight Music
FFO : Shadow of Intent, AngelMaker, Signs of the Swarm
Deathcore is a genre from which I've been steadily drifting away over the last few years, despite having been a complete fanatic of the genre in my teens thanks to bands like Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Despised Icon and All Shall Perish.
Nonetheless, I still kept my eyes on the scene; Which allowed me to enjoy some fantastic releases in the deathcore realm over recent years (Brand of Sacrifice, Humanity's Last Breath, Fit For An Autopsy, The Acacia Strain...).
One such album was Enterprise Earth's 2019's "Luciferous" which at the time, renewed my interest in the genre and assured me that its future was in very good hands.
And yet, I couldn't help but feel skeptical about "The Chosen" prior to its release due to negative feedbacks regarding the incorporation of clean vocals and the rather unimpressive album art.
Well, I'm glad to say that my skepticism was ill-founded since "The Chosen" adds much more in terms of playing around with different styles compared to what "Luciferous" had done previously and it does so marvelously well, in a way that is both exciting and sounds organic.
I would consider this a prime example of a deathcore band experimenting with their possibilities and skillset without veering too far away from what made them appeal to fans in the first place. Something that could have resulted in an album that sure, sounds different than the rest of their material, but would've come off as soulless and forced (which is exactly the impression I got from Whitchapel's "Kin").
The juxtaposition of classic deathcore elements and the more adventurous inclusion of different genres is balanced out well enough to make the compositions flow seamlessly, without having moments where some of the newer elements stick out as a sore thumb.
"Overpass" is a great example of that, given how the track flows from being this melodramatic emo ballad into becoming a face-melting deathcore rager that still maintains that melodic catchiness while also pummeling the listener into the ground.
Between the deathcore breakdowns, djenty tones, classical guitar sections, black metal spasms, metalcore catchiness and symphonic epicness : "The Chosen" has a surprising amount of versatility that should be able to keep the listener engaged throughout its rather lengthy run-time.
A brilliant addition to Enterprise Earth's discography which so far, only seems to keep getting better due to the band's will to take risks with their deathcore formula and being actually able to pull those risks off successfully.
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