I’m so perpetually behind, one can say I will never catch up. So, being Blindfolded and Led to the Woods doesn’t sound so bad right now. I also share the same hardships as The Hardest Thing About Being God Is That No One Believes Me. That’s a different story for another time. That lengthy band name and album title sure deserve a discussion. Probably not today, though.

If you’re not already familiar, I suggest you do yourself a service and track down, at minimum, the last full-length from 2023, Rejecting Obliteration. Unbeknownst to me, they also have 3 prior albums listed as “deathcore.” While they have certainly branched out from that genre branding, it’s a good way to start describing their sound.

However, they have transcended the deathcore subgenre by taking a progressive death metal turn. As their previous genre has grown stale, it wouldn’t surprise me to see others do the same. Take, for instance, the title track, “The Hardest Thing About Being God is That No One Believes Me.” Believe it or not, the title is mentioned several times. It’s awkward at first, but then it gets stuck in my head. Before that refrain is a bombastic, heavy, yet skronky beginning. Furious drumming, along with a down-tuned riff, brings us to the three-minute mark, which is where the song title is repeated. Once you’ve heard it several times, it may become a moment where one pumps their fist.

If you’re looking for something on the progressive side, “Coalescence” has you covered. This is also a track with many deathcore elements. The down-tuned main riff chugs home that point. Halfway through, it’s still a deathcore tune, but far more focus is placed on the “death” part. Vocalist Stace Fifield’s hardcore shout is mostly the “hardcore” part. With around two minutes remaining, the song brings in a woman vocalist, Hera, to perform clean vocals for the remainder. It may be slightly anti-climactic given this is the end of the album, but not this review.

I’m going to go back to the beginning with “Arrows of Golden Light” for that honor. After a 30-second intro, clean guitars come in, but the background foreshadows where it’s going with the opening growl. The entire track, all eight-plus minutes, feels like a massive build. The blast beats and lead at nearly the halfway point mitigates the chaos only slightly. A deathcore bludgeoning begins with a few minutes left, but it quickly clears with clean guitars and some symphonics/keyboards in the background, which have a subtle presence. Double bass drums then accompany it all until it crashes and ends.

In the beginning, I must admit not being impressed. However, since I held the band’s previous album in such high regard, I continued to give this a shot. It rewards the listener with repetition. I started to remember bits and pieces with each listen until I realized there were parts from nearly every track stuck in my head at certain points throughout my normal days. That’s when my perception changed from it being a good listen to an engaging, enthralling one. Admittedly, it’s not as good as its immediate predecessor, but to do anything other than mark The Hardest Thing About Being God is That No One Believes Me” as a complete triumph would be a travesty.

[Visit the band's website]

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