Allegaeon – DAMNUM Review: “With DAMNUM, Allegaeon proves they’re arguably one of the most dynamic bands in extreme metal today.”
We’re on the 6th day of 2022 and wow! I didn’t expect to hear such a beast of an album. Allegaeon went above and beyond with DAMNUM.
They progressed in a way that shows off their versatility yet doesn’t take away from their signature sound. And take it upon Allegaeon to name their album after a fancy legal term (I keep wanting to call it “dayum” but that’s just me).
Anyway, this album hits hard yet has the perfect blend of melody and catchiness. There are a couple of songs I don’t care for, but this is definitely the most unique Allegaeon album to date.
And can we just talk about vocalist Riley McShane for a minute? Because both his growls and cleans are flawless.
I know it’s becoming a trend for tech death vocalists to start clean singing. I have no problem with this; however, some bands don’t do it well at all.
With the technicality of extreme metal mixed in with the singers who need to hit every note in their octave range, it becomes too much. That’s why I don’t mind the monotonous Cookie Monster growls — they don’t take away from the musicianship.
However, Riley is different. He’s skilled enough as a singer to know when cleans and growls work better in a song. Allegaeon, as a whole, is a band that fits a lot of different influences and qualities into their music, so their writing style works perfect with both growls and clean vocals.
Anyway, back to the review.
We really see their progression with a song like “Of Beasts and Worms.” Riley unleashes harsh vocals at inhumanly low octave levels, then suddenly switches to angelic vocals. Then, the song kicks in with beastly guitars and drums. The verses are heavy and the chorus is catchy, with blast beats keeping up the momentum.
While new drummer Jeff Saltzman puts on a great performance throughout this entire album, he really shines in this song. This song takes a major step forward with the insane neoclassical soloing giving this song more of a classic Allegaeon feel.
The next song, “Into Embers,” totally reverses what we just heard. It begins with an atmospheric melody before the rest of the band increases the momentum.
They don’t hold back with the heaviness in this song. The guitars, drums, and Riley’s harsh vocals obstruct everything melodic we heard in the previous song.
Even with Riley’s brief clean singing parts interrupting the brutality, Allegaeon just circles back. Even the solo is brutal. This is the song that Allegaeon released as a single, but I wish they chose another song. I like this song, but it doesn’t represent the unique qualities that this album holds.
“To Carry My Grief Through” is another hard-hitting song. It sounds like a traditional Allegaeon song with ridiculous technicality and Riley’s harsh vocals.
Crushing solos and guitar parts force their way in. However, things take a turn with the pleasant classical guitar melodies and bass solo (c’mon you gotta throw in a bass solo). With all the fanciness gone, the solos then turn into the inhuman neoclassical guitaring we all know best.
Let’s skip down to “Called Home” since it’s one of the most unique songs on the album. This song sounds gentle at first, with the acoustic guitar and Riley’s cleans. However, the song suddenly morphs into an atrocious monster, biting down on you.
And just as quick, it turns into jazz-era Opeth while still maintaining that harsh sound. From here, the song weaves in and out of peaceful and insane, taking the listener on a very interesting journey.
Let’s go into “Blight.” This honestly isn’t one of my favorite songs on the album. While there are subtle progressions in this song, it’s a little drab and doesn’t stick out the way the other songs do. I do have to say, I love the piano here and wish more extreme metal bands included ACTUAL piano in their songs, not just background synths.
However, Allegaeon makes up for it with “The Dopamine Void pts. 1 and 2.” Part 1 is another amazing acoustic song with clean vocals. This song is only two minutes long, but it’s absolutely breathtaking.
The minute “The Dopamine Void Pt. 2” begins, the insanity increases. But what makes this song so prominent is how it’s catchy. Don’t get me wrong, the song is heavy, but it’s very distinguishable. Even the solos stick in your head.
While Allegaeon continues to incite with “Saturnine,” the dynamic switches.
This song isn’t bad, just blends in. With how strong “The Dopamine Void Pt. 2” is, this song sounds more like a filler track. Maybe if it was on a different place in the album it would fit in better, but this definitely isn’t my favorite song.
However, the solo is solid. As with all Allegaeon guitarwork, it’s very technical but guitarists Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel used the perfect combination of melody and complexity here.
We’re only in the beginning of the year, but this new Allegaeon album already blew me away. Even with the couple of songs I don’t like, this album has enough momentum with the perfect blend of melody and clean vocals to make this album stand out.
It’s rare to find a band who can release an album with both pure insanity and beautiful classical melodies. With DAMNUM, Allegaeon proves they’re arguably one of the most dynamic bands in extreme metal today.
DAMNUM will be out on February 25. Pre-order today!
Rating: 9/10
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