Style: melodic death metal, progressive metal (harsh vocals)
Review by: Jonah
Recommended for fans of: Dark Tranquillity, Carcass, (early) In Flames
Country: Colorado, United States
Release date: 28-12-2018
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the December 2018 issue of The Progressive Subway.]
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a real sucker for melodic death metal. The driving hooks, the massive melodies, and the crunchy grooves all just mesh together into something that ticks every single musical box for me. Because of this, I’ve heard a whole hell of a lot of Melodeath in my time, and it’s somewhat hard to impress me anymore. Therefore, I went into this review with some trepidation. However, this was unneeded, as Well of Sacrifice have thrown together an absolutely massive hunk of Melodeath here that any fan of the genre should absolutely listen to.
This album explodes with energy right out of the game with opener Blood in the Water and never really lets up. The riffs are chunky and engaging, often drifting outside of the simple Melodeath realm. There are blackened riffs scattered throughout, and there are even occasional chuggy hard-Rock riffs thrown in for some extra flavor. All of this combines into some of my favorite Melodeath guitar-work I’ve heard in quite a while. It manages to never leave me bored in a genre not always known for the most individually exciting guitar-playing, and that’s wonderful. The vocals aren’t particular innovative, they’re pretty standard death roars and snarls, but they’re damn good all the same. The bass is pretty inaudible, which is a real shame as I would’ve loved to see it closer to the forefront. What really made these guys pop for me though, was the synths. They’re used sparingly, as they should be in a style like this, but when they do pop up they create these driving melodies that just absolutely hook me.
Honestly, I only have 2 real complains about this album. The first is that the production gets a tad rough at a couple points, with the guitars getting a bit too loud for everything else going on. The aforementioned lack of bass guitar is also an issue, as I love nothing more than some thicc bass guitar along with my Death Metal. The 2nd complaint is that the album is definitely front-loaded. The first songs are all the strongest ones, and while the latter half isn’t bad it doesn’t carry the same pounding energy that the first one does.
This all being said, if you enjoy Melodeath at all, absolutely give this album a spin. It has fantastic songwriting, fantastic energy, and some really damn exciting riffs.
Recommended tracks: Blood in the Water, Obsidian Death, Ear to the Ground
You may also like: Shylmagoghnar, Skyglow
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Well of Sacrifice is:
– Ben Livingston (vocals, bass)
– Zac DeMartini (vocals)
– Emily Ward (vocals)
– Ethan Walden (guitars, vocals)
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