Hailing from Colorado Springs, USA, Buried Realm is the one-man project of Josh Dummer who enlists the help of prominent musicians from around the world to bolster his already impressive songwriting and performance. Having released two albums already, “Embodiment of the Divine” (2020) and “The Ichor Carcinoma” (2017). Dummer is gearing up to release a third, a self-titled full-length with a well-rounded group of well-known guests, to be out on 3rd June. So without any further ado, let's jump into the album discussion.
The album intro “Entrance” is a melodic piece; rather a prelude perfect as the album opener, which then bleeds into “Spectral Light”. One of the fastest songs with ‘at you face blasting’ with intense grooves and catchy riffs. The guitar work flows between technical verses while being melodic in the chorus. The high screams incite the dynamic energy perfectly needed. Much darker and grittier, “Poison Place” is a groove dominated track and might be the most abrasive and intense Buried Realm song. With Christian Muenzner featuring, the blistering solos are a bliss to listen to. “The Iron Flame” is a perfect template of modern melo-death. Choppy riffs with melodic lines and blistering guitar lead lines are all you can expect. (Though the main riff reminds me of “In Due Time” by KSE). A tale of temptation and resurrecting evil rounds up “Witch Bones” - keyboard leads with strong rhythm in background, and along halfway blueprinting eastern melodies which does sound no less than a horror tale.
“Where the Armless Phantoms Glide” is a lethal mixture of speed and catchy swift melodies. The rapid drums blast throughout the entire song-length. Featuring Dan Swano on vocals, the vocal melodies of Swano and Josh compliment each other fascinatingly. Apparently the first song to be written for the album, “Elder Gods” is upbeat and catchy with groove being its dominant factor. With the final track “Quicksand Memory”. Buried Realm encompasses every element and quality unique to the album in one track - fast brutal drums with melodic tremolo riffs with tons of guitar leads.
Having used the words like “melodic” and “catchy” too often now, it is undeniable that the record blurs the line between the genre of Scandinavian Death Metal and Technical Death Metal, with elements and passages often oscillating between the two realms. The vocals on the album are so well done - Dummer’s highs are somewhere comparable to late Trevor Strnrd and the mix justifies the vocal melodies as well. The rapid drums on the album gives you no moment to sit - it almost blasts throughout the entire runtime of the album. The production of the album is also a level up from its predecessor “Embodiment of the Divine”, so much so that “Buried Realm” might be one of the best produced albums of 2022. With that being said, guest artists like Bob Katsionis, Christian Münzner, Christofer Malmström, Dan Swanö and Dean Arnold acts no less than bright stars emitting their musical light on the beautiful planet of Buried Realm.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/buriedrealm
Genre: Technical Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal
Worldwide Release: June 3rd, 2022.
