In Dying Arms – “Original Sin” [Album Review]

There once was a thing. “Deathcore” was its name, and it was good. I’ve noticed that some bands don’t like being labeled “deathcore” for some reason, but let’s make pretend we live in a world where people aren’t jerks. When I say “deathcore,” most people who enjoy metal music know exactly what I’m talking about. Original Sin by In Dying Arms is deathcore in all of its unadulterated glory. If you are in the mood to turn off the lights and turn on the br00tz, you’re in for a delight!

It feels like it has been a minute since In Dying Arms has put out new material (more like a year). Many moons ago, they parted ways w/ Artery Records and have since joined the Tragic Hero roster and with that, it appears that there has been some serious revitalization that’s taken place in the form of 50 minutes of major headbang-age.

Track numero uno gives you about 1 minute of build-up to brace yourself, quickly transitioning to the title track that basically floors it until the bridge where the song opens up w/ some chords that ring out before a half time breakdown kicks you right in the “close friends bag” and closes out the song. The high energy, dissonant onslaught of riffages and quick rhythms continue through the first half of the album. One defining element of the music that I appreciated relative to other deathcore was the tonal movement of the riffs that strayed from the 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-0 with which we’ve all gotten pretty familiar by now. A fine example of such writing can be found during the pre-chorus of “For What You Believe (Stand Up),” which resolves to one of the nostalgic moments on the album, the ambient lead guitar reminding me of older IDA material, hauntingly beautiful.

There are noticeably fewer clean vocal parts on this album, but they are more than made up for by Orion’s massive screams, his high screams still probably my fav. in the deathcore scene. It’s nearly Man of Steel-piercing, and I can’t help but silently mime those parts when they occur, making me look like I should be wearing a helmet when I’m jamming out to this in public. “Absence of Shame,” track 7, has a cool piano intro that continues to rise in tonality and breaks into my favorite riff of the album and is a solid example of the variety of production and songwriting present on this album which features everything from trem. picked and pedal tone riffs to borderline nu-metal grooves, sprinkled with sub-drops. It’s def. great first date music, imo!

Track Listing:

01. Usurper
02. Original Sin
03. Skeleton Queen
04. Caught In The Balance
05. For What You Believe (Stand Up)
06. Kingslayer (Ft. Dan Watson)
07. Abscence of Shame
08. Blackwater
09. Parasite
10. Valar Morghulis
11. Dreamcatcher
12. Mother Huldra

Run Time: 50:34
Release Date: April 1, 2016

Check out the song “Original Sin” here.