Ov Sulfur are a blackened deathcore band from the US and this is their second album.
Following on from 2023’s The Burden ov Faith comes the 46-minute Endless. On this new record Ov Sulfur continue their upwards trajectory.
Ov Sulfur’s brand of deathcore is of the symphonic blackened variety, but also operates a little wider than just this. The band incorporate metalcore elements into their music that I find work well for them. Apart from some of the dynamics deployed across the songs, this is especially notable in the singer’s performance; he can do the usual hideous growls and screams with the best of them, but also has a wider range that allows him greater variety of vocals to choose from, including cleans, (some of which are also provided by the guitarist in places). The use of these cleans have been expanded on Endless too. In fact, one song – Wither – only has clean singing.
Apart from that one song I just mentioned, this is heavy, heavy stuff, but also vicious. Ov Sulfur have the massive breakdowns you’d expect for the style, but also a serrated, venomous approach to the material that imbues the music with a lethal edge. Whether slow and crushing or fast and serrated, the songs rage and destroy with a thoughtful air that’s almost at odds with the dark brutality the band dish out. Alongside this Ov Sulfur deal in catchiness and hooks. It’s extreme metal, but of a sort you can actually sing along to were you so inclined.
The thing I like about Endless is that while it’s largely everything you’d expect from a blackened deathcore album, it’s also simultaneously more than this. Essentially, it’s a simply a good, well-written record – if you’re not a fan of blackened deathcore then I doubt you’ll be convinced, but those that are, or are willing to give the style a try, will find much to enjoy here. Ov Sulfur are of a superior sort when compared to the average deathcore act, and Endless is easy to enjoy.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 