With numerous live appearances beginning to hit radars over the country, Existentialist have used the qualities needed to follow a steady curve of progression since 2020 debut Prophet of Ignorance in a live setting. Their second album comes with label backing through Seek and Strike, comprising of nine tracks including a feature by none other than the Slam King Jason Evans, meaning at first glance there is clearly a step up between this and their debut release.
Opener ‘Shrouded in Darkness’ is an immediate drive into the upper echelons of the album and displays some of the highlights of the writing on offer. Atmosphere building is incredibly important in this subgenre and Existentialist display both awareness of this necessity and aptitude in its’ undertaking during this gargantuan seven-minute song. That said, the classic deathcore elements of the track certainly overshadow anything else – this band know how to write scathingly heavy music in a way that doesn’t grow tiresome. An almost industrially relentless ending to the track cascades into a hugely triumphant climax, before closing off the first chapter of ‘The Heretic’ – an impressive start.
“...gatling gun double-bass, riff after riff like napalm”
As the album descends through ‘The Zealot’s Demise’, ‘Churchburner’ and ‘Embers Upon Calvary’ more utterly evil offerings grow like a storm from the five-piece’s instruments. The first of the aforementioned tracks sprays gatling gun double-bass and delivers riff after riff like napalm, surely a highlight of the whole album.
Third track ‘Churchurner’ employs further wrist-aching guitarwork and provides some of the best orchestral composure to be heard within ‘The Heretics’ run time of nearly fifty minutes. The brass instruments compliment an eerie vocal chorus juxtaposed with the demonic cries of monstrous vocalist Patty Kolasa. ‘Embers Upon Calvary’ hands its spotlight to Jason Evans, who’s iconic vocals are mixed in a way that calls back to the earlier days of Ingested’s slam roots and offers a complimentary comparision with Kolasa’s own voice. The topic of the production on this album is worth noting, the old school death metal sounds shine through and as such has an impact on certain elements of the bands sound. The bass is sacrificed in favour of the orchestral and atmospheric compositions, which ultimately may hold back certain parts of the album. The solid low-end of the bass could add a foundation to some of the guitar-centric sections that would benefit from it, the same can be said for the drums at times too. In some cases, the composition of extra instrumentals such as piano and string parts takes enough spotlight to stick out too greatly in the mix as well, occasionally the latter stages of the album suffer for this.
That said, the raw sound has charm beyond technical observations. This album offers up spirited atmosphere and visceral animosity in unison, notably with very few points where the two are not paired in a tasteful and catchy way. The songwriting in this way is a well-oiled machine which does not necessarily require the instrumental composition atop of it. It bares sharp teeth and is poised to sink a bite into the rich meat of the blackened deathcore scene without needing to lean on the crutch of melody. ‘Carrion for Crows’ another track to highlight this observation, delivering further harrowingly-heavy vocals and guitarwork that seems to shake off the melodic composition around it.
“'This album offers up spirited atmosphere and visceral animosity in unison, notably with very few points where the two are not paired in a tasteful and catchy way'”
‘The Eternity Gate’ and ‘The Sundering plant the black metal DNA within Existentialist’s sound directly at the forefront of attention to success with intelligence and fire. The former of the two is assembled notably better than the latter, but ‘The Sundering’ is upheld in its feral-vocals and unsettling atmosphere to true aplomb. The home straight of ‘The Heretic’ is led by ‘The Usurper’ – a track which sees it’s sting rest within more rattling kick drums and impressive vocal performances and lyrics crafted with precision in delivery. ‘The Abyssal Embrace’ shuts the door on this album with the hallmark moments of any successful blackened-deathcore track featuring in their own realm of this nearly eight-and-a-half-minute goliath.
Existentialist sit now with a very solid structure around them. They have cemented the fact that their debut release was not a one-off in its’ success, but that they have the skills to consistently produce quality music. While there are areas and targets for improvement in areas such as the mixes’ effect on the orchestral compositions, it would be reasonable to expect the constant experience this band is gaining to aid in ironing these out for their next releases. It is also important to appreciate that in a genre that seems to be converging into one point, Existentialist’s raw and ripped-open sound distinguishes them from many in the pack. They are an exciting act to follow and their name is beginning to carry real weight in the UK underground heavy scene, ‘The Heretic’ provides an attractive arsenal to equip them in their unholy conquest and shall draw the much-deserved attention from many to their side.