ALLEGAEON — Damnum (review)

Album · 2022 · Technical Death Metal

4.5/5 · 2022-10-08
The Spotlight Kid

In the world of Technical, Progressive and Melodic Death Metal there are few bands who have made as memorable a mark as Colorado’s Allegaeon. For 15 years and through various line-up changes Allegaeon have forged their complex sound to the point where they now sit firmly at the tip of the spear of these sub genres. Now in 2022, the guys, in partnership, once again, with the highly sought after producer Dave Otero, have dropped their sixth full-length album in Damnum.

The title Damnum is a latin word meaning loss. Consequently the lyrical themes explored within by singer Riley McShane reflects many of his own and other band members' feelings of anger, grief, sadness and loneliness, which they have experienced over the last few years. Channeling the pain felt by the suicides of two close friends and even drawing lyrics from the suicide notes as well as literature that had been enjoyed between the friends gives the whole thing a real potency of feeling and at times can get pretty dark. However Riley has stated that his intention was more about showing the listeners who may also feel these dark emotions that they are not alone and to try to find a positive strength and light in the darkness through the music. I think they have done an excellent job with this synthesis.

While the lyrical content and pain is there to be felt, the music itself throughout is very uplifting and exciting, even with the brutality. Certainly the violence and furocity the band has always had remains and is even perfected further, yet so are the melodic elements. Allegaeon has reached new heights in that department. The guitar playing prowess from Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel is undeniable. Seamlessly mixing gentle complex acoustic passages with bludgeoning death metal riffing as well as beautiful heavy melodic passages and jaw-dropping solos. On Damnum, Allegaeon welcomes new drummer Jeff Saltzman, formerly of Continuum. With his inclusion and in combination with the uber talented Brandon Michael on bass, the rhythm section is equally mesmerizing.

In recent years Allegaeon albums have always been very consistent affairs from top to bottom and Damnum is no different. In my opinion it’s even more so than previously. So picking standout tracks is a hard task because every song is an exciting world of its own to explore. However you can't go wrong with the bludgeoning “Of Beasts and Worms”, the absolutely killer riffing of “To Carry My Grief Through Torpor and Silence”, the melodic splendor of “Into Embers” and the pulverizing power of “Blight”. Also the two part “The Dopamine Void” is once again another album highlight for Allegaeon as well as for Riley’s fantastic vocals, which for those unfamiliar with the band is a mix of killer, top-tier Death growls and goosebump inducing clean singing. I believe he’s announced his departure from the band, which if true, is a huge loss because the guy is a genuinely talented vocalist.

Allegaeon haven’t really done anything vastly different on Damnum and those familiar with their work will find it fits in with their established sound and direction very well. What they have achieved however is to level everything up quite dramatically. The compositions are the best they have ever produced, the playing and singing, which has always been great, is somehow even better, and the production by Dave Otero sounds full and powerful. Damnum is the band's best album to date and that's saying a lot because they have been pumping out great albums for years now. If you love it technical but also loaded with aggression, melodic expression and emotion then don’t sleep on Damnum. It’s Allegaeon’s masterpiece. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)