Magno Interitus

CABAL's "Magno Interitus" is an ambitious, if ultimately flawed, excursion into the murky depths of deathcore and ambient-leaning metalcore. On paper, the blend suggests a cinematic experience, but in practice, the album often finds itself lost in its own cavernous production. It is an effort that mistakes sonic density for musical depth, resulting in a journey that feels more taxing than triumphant.

From the opening movement, "If I Hang, Let Me Swing", the band attempts to establish a sense of dread. The production is undeniably massive, but it frequently swallows the nuance of the guitar work. The riffs are thick enough to choke on, yet they often lack the jagged edge required to cut through the wall of noise. It is a common pitfall in modern deathcore; when everything is heavy, nothing is special.

Grandiosity is not a substitute for heavy songwriting, and Magno Interitus proves that volume can be hollow.

Moving into "Insidious" and the title track, the ambition for atmospheric scale becomes evident. Here, the "ambient" tag in their genre description manifests as elongated passages that serve more as scenery than substance. While the ambition is noted, the pacing suffers. The transitions between the crushing weight of the metalcore sections and the atmospheric plateaus often feel clunky, as if the band is searching for a way to fill the space.

Technically, the percussion is the album's strongest suit. The drumming provides a frantic backbone to "Existence Ensnared" and "Insatiable," navigating complex time signatures with competent precision. However, the frantic energy sometimes feels like a frantic distraction from the lack of melodic cohesion. The blast beats are competent, but they are frequently deployed as a default rather than a calculated dynamic choice.

"Blod af Mit" and "Exit Wound" offer glimpses of more focused aggression, but they are hampered by a tendency toward melodrama. The band occasionally leans into "grand" tropes that feel unearned. When the atmosphere becomes too vast, the core identity of the riffs begins to dissolve into a wash of reverb. It is a stylistic choice that, in this instance, creates more distance than depth.

In the closing stretch, "Violent Ends" and "Like Vultures", the fatigue of the production becomes apparent. By the time we reach "Exsanguination" and "Plague Bringer", the heavy-hitting core of the album feels somewhat diluted by the overarching production choices. The final tracks attempt to bring a sense of finality, but the overarching theme of the album remains one of indulgent scale rather than refined execution.

Overall, "Magno Interitus" is a competent piece of extreme music that lacks a distinct soul. It is polished and imposing, yet it lacks the sharp, defining hook that separates a standout debut from a standard genre entry. It is a safe, sprawling edifice of sound that prioritates atmosphere over the raw, surgical precision of the riff.

Ultimately, the album serves as a reminder that size is not a substitute for structure. CABAL has mastered the art of the crushing wall of sound, but they haven't quite mastered the art of the memorable hook. It sits in a grey area: impressive in its scale, but forgettable in its particulars.