Ov Sulfur - The Burden Ov Faith (2023)

It is quite interesting how over the years Deathcore bands have managed to evolve and blend elements of Black/Death and even Symphonic Metal into their music, while keeping their signature breakdowns and overall intensity. Hailing from the USA, Ov Sulfur is the incarnation of one of those evolved bands featuring a crushing sound that also leaves room for atmosphere and melody. Comparable to bands like Lorna Shore, Carnifex, White Chappel, etc. this up and coming band is ready to destroy you with their well crafted music.

Opening with the intense “Stained In Rot” the band fully unleashes their sheer brutality on this one, while incorporating those atmospheric elements alongside punishing breakdowns. With the following two tracks, “Befouler” and “Unraveling”, the band adds a few guests on vocals to show range and showcase some of their additional creativity, keeping things interesting and fresh. We particularly loved the crafty “Death Ov Circumstance” and its engaging atmospherics intertwined with powerful guitar riffs and awesome drumming.

The blend of symphonic arrangements and more melodic guitar work can be nicely appreciated on songs like “I, Apostate”, another highlight of this release as it gives out a Behemoth-esque vibe. Pummeling through tracks like “Wide Open” and “The Inglorious Archetype”, you can hear that Ov Sulfur is far from your average vanilla Deathcore band as they show interesting ideas and crafty songwriting skills.

Closing with the excellent “The Burden Ov Faith”, we get yet another set of different ideas with the addition of female vocals. Overall, Ov Sulfur has tons of great ideas and completely nails down the basics of the genre. This creates a very promising and crushing combination that will certainly get the band noticed as they easily standout from the rest. If you like bands like Lorna Shore and similar outfits, with a more melodic/symphonic edge to them, you will love this band and release.

Label: Century Media Records

Release: March 24th, 2023

Genre: Deathcore Metal / Symphonic Extreme Metal

Country: USA