SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: OV SULFUR – ENDLESS

OV SULFUR
ENDLESS
CENTURY MEDIA

Sometimes in a band’s career, spicing things up a bit is what gets the creative juices flowing. Since their debut album, The Burden Ov Faith, much of their material has focused on anti-religious fury. With the release of their new album, Endless, Ov Sulfur closes the book on that chapter and aims for something more broadly existential. Shifting the focus from blasphemy to the concept of permanent existential dread, Ov Sulfur takes a backseat to raging against faith and asks themselves and their listeners, “What if eternal life doesn’t mean salvation, but endless suffering?” Not only does this provide a bit of meat to the potatoes on this album, but it also holds firm such heavy feelings and philosophical themes, rather than letting their agitation take center stage, as has been commonplace in their previous work.

Endless doesn’t just put the band in a space to broaden their storytelling but also lets the band expand and embellish their instrumental energies. The first few tracks, “Endless/Godless,” “Seed,” and “Forlorn,” are a work of cinematic brilliance. Unlike most deathcore acts, which often drift towards traditional breakdowns, Ov Sulfur uses the power of production, unpredictability, and tension to explore new areas of their sound. Intro “Endless/Godless” and “Seed” cement the band’s talent when to push and when to pull back, accenting their soundscapes with atmosphere before setting each moment ablaze with pure, unfiltered aggression. It is this controlled chaos that continues to bloom, with moments like “Forlorn” balancing such ferocious sorcery with gorgeous orchestral alchemy and carefully curated slam breakdowns, making this waterspout of an experience feel so well put together despite so many concepts wrapped into it.

Continuing down this precipice of dark memories frozen in time, “Vast Eternal,” “Wither,” and “Evermore,” push their creative abilities further, where moments like “Vast Eternal” really put the percussion values to the forefront, with rhythms that are intricate, full of odd meters, and quick technical pivots, yet such intricacies never feel stale or academic in its presentation throughout this experience. Other moments, like “Wither,” bring a new kind of melodic, clean vocal balance to the album. Every voice, guitar, and percussive element is treated like a canorous instrument. Drums are tuned to sing, vocals are chosen for color, not volume, and guitar lines often mirror or counterpoint such musical discourse, creating a unique interlocking lattice of rhythm and melody.

“Dread (feat. Josh Davies of Ingested),” “Bleak (feat. Johnny Ciardullo of Carcosa),” and “A World Away (feat. Alan Grjna of Distant)” serve as icing on top of a large-tiered cake, its guest appearances helping to anchor and even experiment with the album’s thematic push and pull of personal hell and inner transcendence that comes from the healing of pain.

Endless proves that this band utilizes pacing well, its use of melody and tension creating a one-of-a-kind, ornate brutality that rediscovers the beauty hidden within the seams of darkness. Ov Sulfur is very much in their own element but touches on this in a different, deep, and profound way. It begs the question that if a supreme being is meant to heal and protect, why does it also make us endure pain and suffering? Maybe it’s so we can appreciate the moments that truly matter. Maybe it’s because without it, there would be no happiness or compassion for others. When you’re staring into the belly of the beast that puts you through such turmoil, that question becomes harder to answer. Endless showcases that although pain itself often feels cursed and finite, there is always a sliver of light that often breaks through the darkness.

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