A Scar for the Wicked “Acolythus”
Canadian deathcore group A Scar for the Wicked’s album “Acolythus” is tight, well-written and consistent.
A Scar for the Wicked’s “Acolythus” is a concept album which we’re told focuses on the “nine sins of hell.” This is not to be confused with the Seven Deadly Sins codified by Pope Gregory I. None of the lyrics gives mention of Gwyneth Paltrow’s head in a box. Probably. What we’re dealing with here appears to be a part of Dante’s vision of Hell, penned some seven or eight centuries later as the Nine Circles of Hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. To be fair, there’s a fair bit of overlap and either way, it’s some pretty wicked shit your local priest won’t like.
Canadian deathcore group A Scar for the Wicked has noticeably grown since the 2018 release of The Unholy. In fact, one might go so far as to say their previous work is boring by comparison. The naysayers happy to dismiss anything within a genre bearing the -core suffix could have found fuel for their fire with “The Unholy”. Or perhaps simply dismissed it as a low-rent The Black Dahlia Murder. Not so with “Acolythus”.
The opening track “Seven Wraiths” lets us know this band has matured their sound and songwriting. Here, we find some classically tinged flourishes, slightly more inventive riffs than your average 0-0-0-0-0-chug-a-long, and all-round very decent songwriting. “The Ophidian Offspring” continues the trend set by the opening track with more frantic and inventive guitar play and a very decent mid-song payoff. There shall be no prizes for correctly guessing which of the nine sins “Drowned in Gluttony” represents, its breakdown-heavy back half offset by both tasteful orchestration and a unique lead break.
There are moments across the album where, dare I say it, one could almost argue this album has as much in common with the ilk of Obscura, et al., as with Whitechapel and co. Well, almost. If not the above-mentioned lead break of “Drowned in Gluttony” then perhaps the progressive arrangements of “Despicable Existence”. Sure, there’s a whole horde of purists who won’t accept that a deathcore album is worthy of precious ear time, but they might be doing themselves a disservice. If the piano touches exampled in “Golden Touch of Eternity” or the orchestral openings to “Acolythus” and “Sacrificial Genocide” point to anything, it’s that A Scar for the Wicked is at least attempting to progress the genre, whether you like it or not, and may therefore be considered progressive metal by definition.
No review would be complete without first offering vocalist Andre Dubien his due props for keeping things interesting. Trevor Strnad one minute and CJ Mahon the next, but certainly himself throughout, commanding growls and screams lend the album its intended fury, darkness and hate. As a whole, “Acolythus” is tight, well-written and consistent. “Consistent” is not a synonym for “boring” or “it all sounds the goddamn same”, as it might be where a lot of deathcore bands are concerned. Having said that, if you don’t already have a ticket to ride, this album probably won’t have you boarding the train to Breakdown City – but you might wanna have a casual flick through the travel brochure. And if you already dig the style, this album is inventive, professionally executed and a whole lotta evil fun.
A Scar for the Wicked’s “Acolythus” is out now.
Review by Nathan Eden.
