Although a relatively recent phenomenon in the grand scheme of both hardcore and metal, metalcore has become an all too familiar tale of a subgenre ascending the heights of public consciousness and falling from grace to later rise again.
Attendant to its rise to prominence in the mid-2000s was a toning down of its more extreme character in favor of a curious duality of impact-based metal riffing and haggard shrieks inspired by the late 90s Gothenburg melodic death metal style and a pop/punk infused approach to chorus sections, creating a niche that began as a unique curiosity but quickly became contrived and cliché by the onset of the 2010s.
Some recent strides coinciding with this blend of punk sensibility and metal flair’s resurgence are a return to a more fiery and primordial expression of metallic rage in line with the earliest releases of trailblazing pioneers of the craft Darkest Hour, Overcast, Caliban, and Shadows Fall.
Among the hungrier of a new generation rediscovering this more dangerous and forbidding brand of metalcore are Scranton, Pennsylvania natives Traverse The Abyss, who have been raining down the hardcore-infused metal mayhem since 2016 and have put forth their most refined offering yet via their latest studio opus Memento Mori.
Billed as a cohesive, conceptual tale in EP form of mental fortitude, self-empowerment, and fighting for one’s dreams, this release could be best understood as a singular, 20-minute song in five parts, each flowing seamlessly into the next with little in the way of respite.
At the helm is arguably the rawest, most viciously piercing exercise in extreme vocal work courtesy of Eric Abyss, rivaling the heaviest hitters in the present deathcore and grindcore scenes, and providing the most extreme element of what is otherwise a stripped-down blend of melancholy melodic hooks, consonant melodeath riffing and mid-paced to moderately swift drum work.
For their part, the rest of the band plays the straightforward card effectively, balancing occasional moments of technical flair with a general philosophy of song service. The guitar work of Justin Coe and Jamie Macheska brings an In Flames-like sense of hook-driven accessibility that is a tad more through-composed, but comparable to something hard out of early All That Remains, while the leads of “Iron” Mike White come with a few shred lines and strategically employed sweep picking.
The rhythm section provided by Nick “Big Shits” Cotillo and drummer David Wilczewski is geared towards tightness and precision, the latter’s kit work being driving and surgically powerful but particularly focused on keeping the arrangement together.
Individually speaking, the songs that round out this 5-part story could all qualify as bangers in the traditional radio sense of the term. Bookending things are two somewhat adventurous mini-epics in “Reasoning” and “Manifest” that mix things up and play up the atmospheric side of things a bit, but don’t venture too far beyond the brevity over longevity approach typical of their subgenre.
The middle body of the album is even more straight up in its sense of impactful themes with a quick withdraw, with “Viewpoint” veering the closest to becoming an outright love letter to 90s Gothenburg, while “Pursuit” and the ultra-brief “Consequence” play up the post-hardcore angle and strip back the riffing while bringing out some rare clean vocal moments amid Abyss’ all growls, all the time extravaganza.
Memento Mori is the sort of work that might have been considered tried and true circa 2002, but in a 2025 context is more of a rare occasion where a style normally geared towards a mainstream audience largely eschews the elements associated with its broader appeal. It presents what metalcore was before the likes of Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold turned it into a darling of MTV, a ferocious expression of hardcore angst that emphasized individual achievement and actualization over group conformity.
It’s been done before, and it could maybe stand to go a little further outside the box, but it’s rarely done with this level of intensity and honesty. I am excited to see where the Traverse The Abyss guys can go next.
Release Date: April 25th, 2025 Record Label: Independent Genre: Metalcore | Melodeath
Traverse The Abyss tear through the current metalcore’s clichés with relentless, blood-and-sweat-soaked fury on Memento Mori, prioritizing grit and honesty over gloss; playing it like they mean every note. It’s not revolutionary, but it hits harder and feels more sincere than most of what’s passing for heavy in 2025
