SUJIN is a Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore band based out of France. Formed in 2013, this is the band’s debut album, and it has eleven songs. “…---…” is the first song; a short introduction that segues into “Save Our Souls.” The guitar work is fairly intricate and the varied vocals keep the song interesting and dangerous at the same time. Stylistically, they remind of more of IN FLAMES than any of the other founding fathers of this style, especially with the balance of clean and harsh vocals, and their sense of melody.

 “Ashes from the Abyss” is heavier and more punishing. The instruments create brutal leanings, while the vocals are angry…sounding indeed like something that would come from the abyss, but again, there are dioses of melody as well. “Wasted Progress” has a slower pace, but it no less intense in purpose, and the guitar harmonies are nice. They build a juxtaposition of sound with a heavy bottom end combined with memorable melodies. “Throne of Chaos” is more of a slow grinding of meat, until all the chunks are gone and you can just consume it all. “Dagon” has a bit more of an adventurous riff and some clean vocals. At this point in the album, the clean vocals help to provide some diversity.

 “Scavengers” has an intense groove and offers some of that diversity I was talking about. You can’t have too many burners on an album because it grows old, even for a staunch Metalhead. “Insanity” features some meaty bass notes in the beginning, and I would love to hear more from the bass. The band has talent…they just need to push themselves a little more to separate their sound from their peers. “Winter Breeze” has a nice change of pace from the intensity of the other songs, at least, in the beginning. The clean vocal harmonies are also on point, and I wish there were more of them.

 Overall, this as a good album in terms of two things. First, the level of intensity was very strong, so ardent Metalheads will like this. Second, there was just enough melody to counterbalance some of the more brutal aspects of their music. If I could offer one critique, it would be for the band to take more chances and step outside of the perceived patterns that guide the genre boundaries, because I believe they have a lot that they could offer to the fans.