Review written by Glenn “Terra Shredder” Van Bockstaele.

Death Note Silence is a Canadian deathcore band formed in 2015. This is their self-titled debut EP, released independently and sent to us by Asher Media Relations. Although this EP was released in October I still wanted to review it since I was instantly hooked the moment I listened to this band’s sound so let the shredding begin, again!

Death Note Silence kicks off with a bang called “Hate.” After an intro featuring a music box and a creepy whispering voice the band blasts off a barrage of slow, thunderous riffs, pounding drums and Ben’s guttural vocals, creating a nightmarish atmosphere throughout this short opening tune. Things speed up and get more varied with the second track, “Forgotten.” A song filled to the brim with blast beats, grunts and shouts (often in duet), brutal breakdowns, soaring guitars and ending with choir chants and that same “cute” music box from the previous track. High level deathcore with an original twist for sure! Next up is “Living The Passion,” a song which puts more emphasis on the dark ambient samples that lift this particular track into even more of a dreamy atmosphere but Death Note Silence’s typically sharp riffs, crisp bass lines and raw yet clear sounding vocals remain. Plus the ending breakdowns and angry mob screams are very effective. Track 4, “Short Lived,” features a more classic hardcore style and attitude but the death elements still remain as well as a few electronic samples. This particular track wraps up with an epic melodic guitar and a catchy chorus. FOREVER YOUNG!

Next up is a 2-minute instrumental “Interlude.” While it’s a slow tune it sounds heroic and inspiring. Although I’m not a big fan of interludes (because they cut off the album’s momentum) in this short intermission was very good in cranking me up for the next track, “Behind The Screen.” Definitely one of the best songs on the album! A vicious deathcore tune that blends abrupt tempo changes, aggressive vocals both clean and harsh, pounding drums, piano samples, crowd chants, hardcore rhythms and melodic sections. It’s all here, spread across its 5-minute playtime and the entire song feels like an epic deathcore anthem. Speaking directly to you to look around the horrors of this world and to take action! It is followed by “Honestly” that starts in the classic metalcore style but quickly evolves into a brutal deathcore song with pounding breakdowns, high pitched guitars and probably the most guttural vocals on the entire album, eventually cooling down with some ambient and piano samples. Next up is “Follower,” a straight forward neck breaking tune due to the massive blast beat barrage that dominates the entire song as well as another catchy chorus! We end with “Prologue Of A Murderer,” one final blood pumping metalcore tune that starts off similarly to Slipknot’s iconic “Psychosocial” track and ending with one last powerful deathcore swing.

If you thought deathcore was dead, well, you’re dead wrong (bad pun, I know, who cares)! Death Note Silence’s eponymous album is an excellent EP that features catchy music with the usual deathcore characteristics and the added music box, dark ambient and piano samples give the whole release a nice dreamy atmosphere. Pretty weird for a deathcore release, huh? Well, check these Quebec folks out! Here’s the track “Behind Your Screen.”

90/100