From Bandcamp, “Emerging from Estonia’s metal scene, PRIDIAN is set to release their debut album, “Venetian Dark,” via Century Media Records. Defined by a modern style of energetic and atmospheric metalcore with a futuristic edge, their sound is reminiscent of genre-leading acts like NORTHLANE, SPRITBOX, and ARCHITECTS. Prioritizing cinematic storytelling and a strong narrative concept in their lyrics, music, and visuals, PRIDIAN’s songwriting approach has been about “abandoning the ego,” says Martin. “We want to write songs, not instrument-based music alone. We could write technical stuff because we all know our instruments, but good songs, interesting structures, and good stories matter more.”

The album has twelve songs, and “The Downfall of Apathy” is first. The opening tones are slow, very low in the register, and brutal, and the harsh vocals follow suit. It’s deep, dark, and punishing, but the clean vocal passages provide a reprieve. “Out for Blood” mixes in some heavy electronic with the absolutely brutal pattern of the riffs. This music is set up to take no prisoners. There is also some melody, but you have to work for it. The riffs are so downtuned, they nearly fall off the earth. “Darker Tides” is another punishing, skull-crushing strike to the head with a baseball bat, and this time, any melodies are kept at bay. “DINY” begins with a healthy dose of keyboards, and they help the melody shine. The clean vocals are somber, and melancholy, and it presents the band in a different light. This song also has a big hook.

“Near Dark” swings the opposite direction, into the bowels of the earth. The vocals rage, while the riffs break. Once again, the brutality is broken up by some clean vocal passages that push some melody into the picture. “Ruin” features some smooth vocal harmonies in the beginning, and the riff that follows is very melodic. It still has those hardened elements, but it’s more about letting other thing develop. “Void Resonance” hears the band return to its darker and more brutal sound, and the melodies move to the background. The breakdown section crushes skulls. “Synthetic Salvation” is just under two minutes of synthesizers that being the album back down to solemn sounds. “Convoy” is another softer offering, and I say that with my tongue in my cheek, because while the band is excellent at melody, it isn’t their main focus. This is a very catchy song.

“Venetian Dark” stands tall as a modern testament to Metalcore’s staying power: relentlessly aggressive, rhythmically precise, and shot through with just enough melody to add depth without softening the blow. This isn’t melody-forward metalcore. This is power-first metalcore, where melody exists not to soothe, but to sharpen the edges. It’s a reminder that the genre doesn’t need to compromise its aggression to be dynamic. It just needs to know when to let its claws show and when to let the blood drip.