Out of Canberra, Australia comes the metalcore band DEATHBEDS. Formed in 2015, they worked for a few years trying to lock down a full-time drummer before they were able to release their EP, "DEATH," in 2018. Now in 2020, they released their debut album, "SINNER," a concept album focusing on the seven deadly sins.

The album starts off with the track "Gods Way is My Way" and immediately highlights one of the unique and strong elements of this metalcore album: the orchestration. A sweet, moving melody with strings and piano introduces the album and provides a feeling of serenity. High sustained notes from a choir then enter the mix and combine with the orchestra to crescendo to an epic peak. And then the hammer drops. You are hit with a thundering mix of brutal screams, bass kicks, and electro-dance guitar beats. This combination comprises the majority of the sound for the rest of the album: thick, pounding growly metal goodness.

David Oliver's vocals are in top form on this album. The screams are deep and rich and he's able to articulate each word so that you can keep up with the lyrics. There are countless screams that convey the despair, fear, and reverence found throughout each song. There is only one moment when things fall a bit short for me. In the song "What's Mine is Yours and What's Mine is Mine," he sort of whines his way through a building melody in the bridge. But honestly, that's just nitpicking an overall killer performance. The growls that dominate the tracks are killer and the cleans, which are used with restraint, perfectly contribute a new and effective element to the songs.

Kit Sammin's talent is found throughout the album. Sometimes hidden, sometimes out front, her voice is pure and has a soft strength to it. "Forgive me Father, for I Have Sinned" stands out as one of their better songs as Sammin takes the lead and delivers a haunting confession that builds over time and conveys so much pure emotion. This quality can be found throughout many of the other songs as she contrasts Oliver's screams, and together they match to provide a juxtaposition of power and beauty.

The guitar work, handled by Anthony Hyde and Benjamin Ooukson, falls into two main styles throughout "Sinner": heavy, chugging, drawn out riffs, and then these electro-tech arpeggio notes that sort of string together to provide a beat. The latter is utilized throughout many of the songs as a bright accent, contrasting the brutal riffs while adding a unique bit of ambiance to the songs. The rest of the instrumentation compliments the intense metal sound perfectly. Blast beats, deep sustained bass notes, and brutal crunching rhythms round out the dark natured affair. Also worth noting is the collaboration with esteemed fellow Australian musician, Misstiq. Misstiq specializes in keys and orchestration and worked with the band to write all of the piano parts (performed by Sammin) and the symphonic pieces. For me, it's this inclusion of the orchestration that elevates this debut beyond a standard metalcore album.

Fans of metalcore or melodic death should not sleep on this album. Each song packs a punch and once you reach the end of the album it won't take long to hit repeat. There are plenty of heavy breakdowns and head banging moments to make any metalhead happy. The performance by the band is not to be forgotten and each element comes through perfectly in production. Clean, yet brutal music that shreds as it takes you through a journey through sins and morality.

Favorite Songs: Gods Way is My Way; Indolent and A Lover of Sleep; Forgive Me Father, For I have Sinned