While there are so many different avenues that one can take in death metal, it’s not terribly often that we find ourselves before an act that manages to meander from one style to the next and be able to pull it off in such a way that feels organic, passionate, and engaging from top to bottom. Such sights are well and truly few and far between even given the vast breadth that the underground has always boasted, but there are always a few names out there that can accomplish such a rare sight in you look in the right place and hold more than a little bit of luck. Time has been nothing but kind to Soulskinner’s sound in that very way with their newest work certainly offering truth to that notion.

It would be simply incorrect if I were to imply even slightly that Soulskinner has abandoned their old school death metal approach for something completely different, but it demands to be made clear that an evolution has certainly taken place. A devastating basis of what they’ve done before with more than a few cues towards a sound that can only be described as “epic” in nature, “Glorified by the Light” shows off a clear understanding of the craft while never once backing down from an opportunity to grow on a lengthy run to show us that there is still so much more than can be accomplished. In the wrong hands, such an approach can become unbalanced, but the hands of Soulskinner are nothing if not fantastically skilled in this corner of the underground. Overflowing with melodies that mold brilliantly with the raw nature of what we’re working with here, “Glorified by the Light” feels like the next natural step in what Soulskinner has been building up to for so many years now, and the pay-off feels ever so exquisite. Remaining firmly within the boundaries of the old school is something that many have taken to great lengths, but it takes a band of a special caliber to maintain one foot in that tomb while using the other to gain a foothold somewhere that can coexist and amplify that intensity at the same time. Of all the things Soulskinner can be called, simple is just not one of them.

It can surely be immensely debated on how Soulskinner has ended up here after dwelling so long in the underground, but one thing is clear above all else: this is a class act that certainly does not sit still.

“Glorified by the Light” releases on November 26th via Xtreem Music!

PRE-ORDER “Glorified by the Light” on Bandcamp here.

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Glorified by the Light” via YouTube below.

LIKE Soulskinner on Facebook here.