SLICE OF SORROW was created when Russian guitarist Roman Netsev found he had a surplus of material that didn't quite fit in with his band INSTORM.  After releasing the 2015 demo "Pay for Pain", what started as a side project would come to fruition with the release of the full length album "Execution."

Although being clearly defined as melodic death metal, SLICE OF SORROW overtly sets themselves apart from most in the genre with dark atmospheric tones conveyed through church organs and as well, a hint of old school thrash. This dark atmosphere is first set up in the introductory track "Of Seduction and Light" which contains only the church organ and the sound of a crackling flame before pummeling us with "Altar of Pleasure." An avalanche of machine gun snare and pick slides release before deceiving you to believe that this song will be mostly in the vein of 80's thrash. This thought is quickly banished when some very black metal-esque tremolos and blasts beats arrive before quickly retreating into a more melodic foray. Regardless of the fact it starts with blast beats, "Pay for Pain" slows things down in a sense, with single beat drum lines and the introduction of piano. This somewhat slower tempo also seems to bring out a smoother sound in the guitar harmonies. This same style of single beat, mid-tempo drumming is continued on the next track "Only Whisper." This time however, there is a considerable twist with the addition of neo-classical sounding guitar leads and keyboards. With the inclusion of what could be considered a Vivaldi influenced guitar solo, this track really stands out but is unfortunately brought down by being a little too repetitive.

"Kingdom of Suffering" is where things really start to slow down. For the first time we get a clean guitar riff with the keyboards now playing bells. It is a shame there aren't any clean vocals here though as this is the first time Romans growls don't quite fit in and feel somewhat forced. Fortunately this out of place feeling doesn't last long as the band returns to style and transitions back into a heavy melodic piece. The added touch of the bells really makes this song unique, but maybe not quite as unique as "Beast." Starting off with only the flute and tribal drums, slow chugs and a fluid beat are introduced with lead guitar eventually layered over top. This song truly sits on the cusp of folk, thrash and melodic death metal. The final track "Last Tear" reacquaints us with the dark atmosphere through the use of organs once again. A sense of familiarity encroaches with the expectation of something epic. However, this isn't the case as the song feels too familiar and doesn't introduce anything new to what has already been heard on previous tracks.

As a whole "Execution" is a gratifying to say the least. Roman and Nikolay provide a decent range of guitar riffs between chugging thrash, soaring tremolos and smooth harmonies. The variety of the keyboards adds a different feel to almost every song. The vocals provide a decent range between crushing lows and piercing highs. On top of all this, Konnov's use of appropriately timed single beat drumming is a welcome change from the sheer onslaught of bands that get lost in the overuse of double kick and blast beats. SLICE OF SORROW may not bring anything new to the table, but their ability to blend different elements into the melodic death metal genre is definitely a breath of fresh air.