Fresh off their debut EP release Oblivion from last year, Scattered Storm of El Paso, Texas returns for their second EP In This Dying Sun. Together for three years, they’ve added bassist Brian Fausnaugh into the fold permanently, creating a five-song effort that is progressive while heavy and modern in its groove-laden heaviness. There’s a larger, down-tuned riff presence that along with the diverse clean to extreme vocal delivery creates an integral, hypnotic chemistry to captivate listener attention, the rhythm section mechanics equally invigorating in terms of main grooves beyond tempo manipulation and seasoned, fluid intricacies.
An all-encompassing genre-bending attitude from drummer/keyboardist Jay Arriaga and vocalist Andre Accosta allows the songwriting plus performances to establish unique distinction markers – be it alternative/industrial accents in terms of the emotive melodies plus circular musical components for opener “Bloody Love” on through to a calmer, Devin Townsend-ish serene to heavier shift for “Hollow”. The stunted, staccato crunch plus lower bass punch gives the title track a Meshuggah meets Prong one/two punch, guitarist Kevin Armstrong quick in his machine gun picking, allowing Andre to slither between a Deftones-like clean position and his natural, aggressive/screaming register. Seeking out renowned producer Tue Madsen for the mixing/mastering pushes the sonic values up a few notches, while also giving the proper breathing room for the quieter, introspective parts that weave in and out of the songs. Keeping the tracks tightly succinct in that radio-friendly 3:42-4:49 range also aligns well for the band to not wear out their welcome, the lyrical content conveying a passion for books, movies, series, and personal reflection on those topics.
In This Dying Sun is one of those EP’s that has a wide array of appeal to those into groove-heavy, progressive, or alternative/industrial-like metal. Scattered Storm fits their band moniker adequately, a quartet poised to make headway in the current marketplace.