From their EPK, “Known for their genre-defying compositions and haunting atmosphere, WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS has built a reputation for crafting music that dives deep into the human psyche. Their style blends suffocating heaviness with eerie serenity, exploring themes of inner darkness, spiritual decay, and cosmic dread. In 2025, the band returns with “In the Glow of the Vatican Fire,” their tenth studio album and perhaps their most ambitious work to date. Set for release via Argonauta Records, the album is a towering, unrelenting experience inspired by human cruelty, the loss of compassion, and the eternal rage of forgotten gods.”

The album has eight songs, and “The Scythe Will Come” is first; a lengthy 12 minute song. Entering with fuzz, some darkness, and even some frightening elements, it sound like the soundtrack to the paranormal. It isn’t until the four-minute mark when we finally hear some vocals, and they are terse at first…feeling, probing. You know that big riff is coming, and it hits hard. The female vocals are clean, and the male vocals are both clean and harsh. “Deus Vult” is shortest, at just over two minutes, and the riff is crunchy, harrowing, and filthy, while the combination of the vocals works well once again. “Coffin Walls” is a little longer, at three-and-a-half minutes. The vocals create some real dissonance here, and the female led ones almost sound like they are purposefully outside of the key.

“The Chaos of Water” is a beastly 14 minutes long, and it roars out of the gate like a sleeping giant who got his ass lit by a fire while trying to wake up. I have always maintained that water is the most destructive of all elements. It does eventually settle into a groove, with occasional peaks and valleys, and the tones segue from anger to calm.  “Burning Zozobra” is shorter, and little more curious sounding. The heavy pound is still there, but augmented with some odd clean vocals. The best way I can describe this is equating it to a monster who is slow witted and funny sometimes even. “The Deep Well” is another opus, and tide swings back to calm seas once again, even with a bit of melody. Some of the tones are weeping however, almost as if they have given in to despair. But the anger comes…and it comes hard.

“N5691” is a bit more straightforward, but again, the female vocals just don’t connect well with the music. I’m sure it’s intentional, and it creates a dissonance that is hard to balance. “Red Sparrow” is the final offering, and it might be the most linear song presented. A red sparrow can signify quite a few things, but the one line that seems common among several explanations is hidden danger, deception, and corruption of innocence. This album was uncommon, and even a bit strange. I appreciate some of the genre-defying approaches that the band makes, but other times, it seems like a personal twist on Doom. Anyone who likes dread would like this album for sure.