From the towering cathedral of Notre-Dame Basilica to the vibrant streets of downtown Montreal, the heart of Quebec. A city along the St. Lawrence in Canada that doesn’t ever sleep and has a very active metal scene. With Montreal being a hot spot for blaring guitars and heavy riffs, It’s no wonder the city spawned a group like DERELICT. Having formed back in 2005 and soon after independently released their debut album “Ideological Prey”. This led to the earlier notoriety of DERELICT which built a solid fan base that only grew in time. With a previous EP, two full-length albums and a few singles released Before stepping back for a bit to take care of life. They are back. DERELICT, who has remained independent, released their latest full-length album “Versus Entropy” on June 21, 2024. Offering up nine solid tracks of pure unforgiving heavy aggression that will hit you hard for 35:50 minutes, leaving you wanting more. It’s been twelve long years of waiting since their last full-length and the wait is finally over. Will this be the album they hoped for and help and showcase their return? Let’s dive in and find out.

This artwork is amazing. A man grabbing at his head as the flesh explodes off exposing parts of the bone. Saturated cyan and deep blues shading are the tones of the image with ocalt-like lines or symbols sitting within the background. The man has what looks like a light emitting from his skull. At first glance, to me this depicts a realization, the realization of something like one’s own mortality. A slight ringing builds up with a rushing ambiance to further intensify the mood as “Versus Entropy” kicks the album off. You are soon met with a solid chord progression that leads nicely into some slam riffs break short downs. I really like what they are doing with the bass as it coats the low tuned guitar and adds depth. The technical solo that shreds also adds a good layer to the mix.

“Infinite Dread” has a soft melodic start that soon carries into a wave of intensity. As the vocals kick in you can hear an influence of metalcore with a bit of LAMB OF GOD.  A steady march of intensity. DERELICT seems to do a great job at diving deep into the metalcore/deathcore vein with, at times, being tinged in death. This album is a solid metalcore album though I feel the treble is boosted by the highs and mid levels a bit too much. If they brought the bass up a pit, I think the sound would be a bit more heavier and add that solid thickness that seems to be slightly off. That being said however, “Versus Entropy” is an overall well produced album that offers quality sound. Each track seems to have their own flavor while sticking to an overall metalcore theme. At times, it’s tinged in technical death that is fused with metalcore which adds layers and depth. With technical elements and various chord progressions that add to the overall cold embrace of death that often overlap into elements of deathcore.

“Workhorse” is a prime example of that tinged technical death as that intro is disgusting. Solid tech death chord progression that layers over some simple drumming and thick bass. With a quick tempo switch, the track kicks off in a solid progression that builds with intensity.  “The Escapist” Wastes no time and screams right into a solid bombardment of aggression. Despite being the closing track, it shows no sign of slowing the pace. Heavy core-influenced but with a death chord progression. A great track to close off an intense album. DERELICT have honed in on their new sound with their latest album “Versus Entropy”. Showcasing that you can produce an amazing album on your own, these guys brought you some truly disgusting tracks. Leading more into the deathcore with heavy thick chord progressions that are slammed with blast beats and coated in a tasty bass. This album was disgusting in all the right ways and I look forward to hearing more from them. As a band influenced by deathcore and leans heavily into that vein, I would recommend that you go get a copy of their latest album and add it to your collection.