Departure is the debut 3-track EP by Midlands-based deathcore act Path To Perdition. Formed in early 2009, after a couple of months of fitful practice sessions the band decided to step up a gear and make a determined effort to take the group to the next level – the result of which is this EP, which showcases a band with the professionalism and determination to grow into a very interesting proposition in the modern death metal scene. That’s not to say they’re quite there yet, however. All of the elements are in place – the production of the three tracks is of more than acceptable quality, with the detuned guitars possessing both devastating heft and that growling, rusty tone that makes the riffs sound like they could give you tetanus, and the drumming is both powerful and balanced in the mix. Vocalist Broughy utilises both a sore-throated, rumbling growl and a more piercing shriek throughout, layering the two approaches for extra sonic weight when appropriate. The instrumental performances are tight, with lockstepped palm-muted and double-kick drumming providing a forcefully percussive, insistent hammering. All three tracks, in fact, are satisfyingly brutal in approach, impressively executed musically, and possessed of that neanderthalic charm that similarly single-mindedly aggressive acts share. Imagine a cross between Carnifex and Doom-era Job For A Cowboy, and you’ll have a pretty good idea where Path To Perdition are coming from – less technical wankery, more bludgeoning, down-tuned groove. What really comes to mind through listening to Departure is the sense that there’s a huge amount of potential within the band that hasn’t fully come to fruition on this EP. I mean, it’s hard to judge a band based on three songs alone – but it’s frustrating to get caught up in a part like the lethally effective, groovy riffage that closes title track ‘Departure’ only to have it end suddenly when it could have built into something epic. The third and final track, ‘Echoes Of Mortality’, comes closest to showing what the band are capable of, with mid-tempo, bludgeoning rhythm guitar balanced with finger-tapped lead riffage to blend aggressive hammering with eerie, evil-sounding melody, while later throbbing, moody tremolo-picked riffage adds to the menacing atmosphere. All that said, Departure is not a bad EP by any means – it’s a solid slab of deathcore typified by good production, tight performances, and an impressive amount of restraint where it comes to hitting those deathcore clichés, like excessive breakdowns or sub-drops. It’s well-written and aggressive enough to entertain, whilst currently being too run-of-the-mill to really attract wider notice – but the potential is there. I think that given time to improve on their songwriting and expand on their ideas, Path To Perdition’s focus and determination could lead them to be an impressive and unique band. As of right now, however, there’s more potential than worth. As of right now, Path To Perdition are competent, tight purveyors of modern deathcore - but the seeds of a more interesting, individualistic band are evident.

Not too long ago, I reviewed an EP called Depature by Midlands-based deathcore quintet, Path To Perdition. That EP received a pretty resounding “Well, it’s okay” from me – it was a perfectly competent effort, well-played, well-produced and generally well put together – it was just lacking in pretty much anything in the way of originality, or any spark that would stand them out against the heaving masses of other deathcore acts vying for the record-buying public’s attention. Well, they’ve recorded another EP and sent it along for me to have a listen to. So, how have Path To Perdition come along since last I heard them? Fairly well, as it happens. This EP is a good step forward from Departure, in that the ambition I heard occasionally poking its head out beneath the deathcore genericism on that previous EP is brought more to the fore on The Awakening. The first track, opens with your trademarked ominous, ambient noises and whispered horror-movie dialogue samples before lurching into a mid-tempo, chugged breakdown riff and guttural roars/piercing shrieks. Then, first track proper ‘Silence Speaks Louder’ comes roaring into play, with largely driving, downtuned riffage giving way occasionally to disorienting tempo-changes and dissonant-chord skree. The added complexity of throwing in lurching, slow-crawl chugs (tempered with a smattering of tortured, upper-register triads) that lead immediately to brief blastbeats before returning to the ‘standard’ riffage automatically lifts Path To Perdition‘s songcraft up a notch from their previous effort – especially when the midsection of the track segués seamlessly into a more measured, epic passage complete with melodic, tapped lead guitarwork. The third and final track, ‘The Awakening’, begins with resolutely Whitechapel/Suicide Silence-esque down-tempo chug/slam riffage mixed with grinding open-note licks and building flurries of rumbling tremolo-picked riffs – and it pretty much stays in that mode throughout. There’s obviously been more thought put into throwing tempo-based curveballs into the song structures this time round, but whereas ‘Silence Speaks Louder’ manages to vary its passages enough to create dynamic tension, ‘The Awakening’ doesn’t stray far enough from its opening remit of mid-tempo chug to retain the interest as effectively, even despite the nice Meshuggah-esque lead arpeggios adding atmosphere towards the end of the song. Overall, then? Well, as I said with Departure – it’s pretty hard to really accurately judge a band based on only three tracks – a task made especially hard in this case when the first track is really just an intro. That said, however, with Departure I highlighted the final track, ‘Echoes Of Mortality’ as the highlight, and the template that Path To Perdition should work on expanding. With ‘Silence Speaks Louder’ on The Awakening, the band appear to have taken that advice – varying their structures, moving away from the obvious deathcore clichés, and stretching their songwriting to include both more complexity and more atmosphere. Personally, I’d quite like their next release to be a bit more substantial – a six-track EP at least, perhaps opening with ‘Pergatory’ from this EP, and also including ‘Silence Speaks Louder’ and ‘Echoes Of Mortality’, along with three more newly written tracks. For now, though, The Awakening showcases a further incremental step forward in the evolution of a band with a lot of promise.