Originating from Florida, CRUCIFICTION is a new deathcore band featuring Bloodbather’s guitarist Salem Vex showing off his incredible vocals. They made their debut in May of this year with the single 'Caged For Extermination', which was co-written with Hunter Young, and they've now released their debut album of 9 songs.
Starting off with an interlude called ‘The Object’ that really sets the tone for the rest of the album, it keeps things slow whilst giving us a brief feel of what the album is going to be about. The first words you hear being “It's a process that doesn't happen overnight, when you depersonalise another person and view them as just an object” and “I've done things I shouldn't have done”. Hearing this introduction really sets the mood for the upcoming tracks, making the listener expect a set of dark, heavy songs all about topics that aren't usually discussed in the music industry.
‘Will to Power’ is the first song on the album and makes a strong start. Almost immediately we're hit with heavy riffs and powerful vocals, and a litany of emotions are evident in Vex’s voice, which continues throughout the entirety of the album. Salem Vex has talked about this album, saying that it's about revenge and how good it can feel - almost immediately we can see how true these words are, on the second track ‘Endless Torture’ which is filled with all sorts of powerful, dark vocals atop melodic riffs and powerful drums.
‘The Gift’ is another amazing track and is one where the guitar really stands out, the catchy riffs alongside the heavy drum lines really make this track one hell of a listen. Along with the gritty vocals and the lyrics “I did this all for you” being repeated throughout, the instrumentation makes for a song that will stick with you long after the album is over.
‘Caged for Extermination’ opens up with high-powered, loud distorted guitars, but it's the vocals specifically that really stand out on this track. This song talks about revenge, which as Vex mentioned is a theme that persists throughout this album, and is most obvious in lyrics like “caging up my enemies and feeding them to filth”. You can clearly hear the emotion and determination in his voice, and his talented screams get across the message in brutal fashion.
The next song is called ‘VHS’ and features Darius Tehrani of Spite on vocals. It's an amazing track as Vex and Darius’ vocals are perfect together; the mixture of raw, gritty and angry vocals make this a song a really enjoyable listen .Starting off with Vex’s raw screams before going into Darius’s talented distorted growls allow their differing vocal styles to shine through and lets you hear the best of them both. Their vocals are an incredible contrast to each other and work very well together.
‘Amputated Satisfaction’ begins with an incredibly catchy and melodic riff in an immaculate introduction to the song. Lyrically, this is yet another song that talks about revenge, as well as the satisfaction it could bring. The vocals in this track are really impressive, changing from low growls to sharp screams on a dime, making sure that there is no doubt that this is another impressive piece of writing and performing.
Seamlessly moving onto the next song ‘The Collection’, we meet CRUCIFICTION on a fast paced death metal track, filled with snarling screams and a heavy guitar riff that can be heard throughout. The drums start off slow at first before quickly picking up tempo as the song gets faster and faster. The harsh drum beats and the brutal guitar riffs underpin everything as the vocals speed up, which bring this song together excellently.
‘Audition’ starts with a guitar riff that is very different to the rest of the tracks on the album, giving it a very clearly defined sound in comparison to the rest. This song flows really well, and like the last song it progressively becomes increases its pace - nearing the end of the song the hollow drum beats really stood out, as well as the clear guitar sound becoming more obvious as it picks up in speed, showcasing a really exciting riff.
They bring the album to a close perfectly on the last track ‘No Salvation’, featuring Alex Hill of the black-metal band Melancholia. Whilst most of the album talks about revenge, this last song discusses the thought that there is no saving you from the consequences of your own actions. This song has the perfect mixture of death growls along with higher pitched screams that can be heard throughout, and it comes as no surprise that Vex and Hills’ vocals work well together.
'Will to Power' is an amazing start for CRUCIFICTION, and it does a great job portraying the bands deathcore sound. This album is a real treat if you're a fan of brutal deathcore - the dark, gritty vocals along with the heavy guitar riffs and the harsh drum beats have been interwoven wonderfully to showcase the sonic heaviness that they're so intent on displaying. This whole album has a 2000's deathcore feel, but CRUCIFICTION has done an incredible job making their sound feel separate, even whilst it draws plenty of influence from that scene. They're sure to give us plenty more great stuff, and we can't wait to see what!
'Will to Power' will be released on October 11th via Rise Records.
Words: Kelsey Mainwaring
Photos: CRUCIFICTION
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