The time has come where Deathcore has shifted into two distinct camps. On one side, you have the sweeping, grandiose style practiced by bands like Shadow Of Intent and Lorna Shore, with a focus on striking symphonic and over the top elements. In the other, you have the sheer bludgeoning, rusty knife blade Deathcore more akin to the genre’s roots and done so masterfully by Psycho-Frame and Killing Of A Sacred Deer. It’s also worth nothing that all of those mentioned bands at the top of their creative or commercial game put out records this year, so the 2025 field appears to be stacked in favour of the big guys. Make no mistake, however, there’s a rich undercurrent of Deathcore bands at the moment, and one of the most promising are Essex’s Beyond Extinction.
Having spent the early 2020s making their mark on the UK deathcore scene and producing two promising, disgusting (In the best way) EP’s, tragedy struck the band when founding member and guitarist Zach Scott sadly passed away. In the aftermath, the rest of the band displayed extraordinary strength and resilience. From hosting a spectacular memorial show titled ‘Never Forget Your Own’, a mantra that Zach had tattooed on himself, they began to push ahead and finish their debut album. Danny Russell joined the band as guitarist in the wake of the tragedy, joining the incredibly talented vocalist Jasper Harmer, fellow guitarist Jude Bennett and drummer Niall Ali as the band laid the foundations for a new era, while still carrying their friend’s legacy with them.
“Where They Gather serves as not only an evolution of the band's sound, but the dawning of a new age which still pays homage to it's past.”
The band’s sound has not changed during these events. Known for a pummelling, dark, almost sludgy at times take on Deathcore, the mix of Jasper’s intense, Trevor Strnad-esque vocals and Jude’s bestial riffs is a sinister yet inviting combination. Where They Gather serves as not only an evolution of the band’s sound, but the dawning of a new age which still pays homage to it’s past. Danny Russell’s arrival in the band saw someone with similar visions of brutality and atmosphere add to proceedings, and this was evident on the first newer tracks, but it was clear that it all came together on ‘Tyranny’. Combining an insidious heaviness with the guest vocals of the legendary Black Tongue vocalist Alex Teyen, it carved out their new era in style, and the endorsement of Alex was something not to be sniffed at.
More akin to Whitechapel and the aforementioned Hull Nihilism merchants in Black Tongue than Lorna Shore, after a foreboding introduction, Where They Gather roars out of the blocks on its title track, immediately instilling a sense of unease which permeates throughout the entire record. Jasper’s range of gurgling shrieks and almost brown noise inducing lows put him up there with the most versatile and satisfying vocalists of the genre.
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Not just content on creating a dark, foreboding sonic landscape, the band’s lyrics have a large part to play in their overall sound too. From confronting their experience with tragedy and loss to addressing military atrocities in Iraq (Seen on one of the album’s fiercest tracks ‘Apache’ and featuring another UK Deathcore legend in Josh Davies from Ingested), a large, dark well of inspiration is drawn upon.
The run of three tracks, which begins contains ‘Seven Spears’, ‘Throne of Atrophy and ‘Winter Sun’, is stunning. As grand in scope as they are violent, they encapsulate so many elements of the band’s sound. ‘Winter Sun’ in particular is perhaps the best moment on the album. At times sounding almost gothic, there are some elements of Black Metal thrown into the mix and if this is a glimpse into the band’s future, it’s one of the most interesting directions on the record so far.
Some tracks fall victim to the curse of Deathcore records in that by design, there isn’t much sonic variety and there’s only so many times a particularly disgusting riff or vomited vocal line can make impress you but credit to the band, they’ve clearly got ideas to take the formula to higher places.
They may be a dagger in a fight consisting of zweihander’s and bastard swords, but on the strength of the songs and the undeniable heaviness of the band’s music, Beyond Extinction have more than enough edge to cause some grievous wounds. No gimmicks, no vocal acrobatics that sound like bagpipes caught in a jet engine at the expense of actual tracks, just pure heft and grit. The level of passion, of love that oozes out of these songs, is on a scale rarely seen in Deathcore. No matter your experience with the record, it will remain an important part of British extreme music history for what it represents and the circumstances in which it was birthed.
Never Forget Your Own.