Deathcore act Left to Suffer managed to turn some heads last year with the release of Feral, which was certainly a name that described the music within. A potent mix of deathcore, metalcore, and nu metal seemed to poise the band to continue developing their sound into the future. But admittedly, one probably wasn’t going to expect such a grand change in one year as you’d get with Leap of Death. It’s clear the band pushed themselves to make something even more unique, even if it might earn them a few gripes from the more narrowminded end of the fanbase.
Listening to Leap of Death, the strongest positive that can be given is that each song truly has it’s own identity. It’s the type of album that you can easily just go track by track and describe it in detail and notice how many different elements weave in and out of the music. There’s a musical direction to it all with the metalcore/deathcore base, but they really manage to reach outside the box in many directions. Opener “Forever,” is going to really go in for that shock factor with it’s quiet, melodic vocals that open before the blast beats and growls overtake it. Grooves, stomps, and breakdowns accelerate it into more brutal territory, but the zipzag continues as the track reaches it’s second half. “Will it Take My Breath” also features some heavy electronic/synths to it, with soaring melodic vocals to switch up from the near-slamming riffs, only for the song to swing into some hip hop influences later on without relinquishing the heavy side of the band.
“Forsaken” mostly performs as a deathcore track, but with some extra emphasis added in the form of electronics and a bit of a dip into melancholic territory as the track continues forward. That modern electronic slant continues with “The Medicine,” which ushers massive grooves together with some gloomy melodies and a large chunk of clean singing. But not to worry, if some are seeking some aggressive and visceral cuts, you’ll find them in the perpetually brutal “Lost in the Dark” and closing cut “Make it Out Alive,” which ratchets up the intensity with some devastating breakdowns.
A surprisingly big evolutionary step that makes sense for the band in their quest to break through the deathcore shackles, Leap of Death succeeds because it ingrains the band’s DNA into these more experimental directions and keeps it grounded in a heavier side that isn’t afraid to push some melodic boundaries in a tasteful way. Left to Suffer have been elevating themselves with more high-profile touring as of late, and now seems the perfect time to strike with some material that will allow them to really make a name for themselves.