Label: Scarlet Records
Date: 16 February 2024
With a ridiculous amount of promos to choose from, I decided on this album above the others, simply because the artwork was the most professional looking, with my train of thought being if they invested in the artwork, surely they must have invested something in the music too.
And thankfully, my hunch about this young French band was right.
The press garb states: “Sujin’s debut album aims to break down the boundaries and take the classic melo-death sound to the next level.” And for the most part, I think that’s spot on.
The more aggressive side of the band is absolutely top notch. It’s loud and proud, full of venom, but with huge dollops of melody. There are certain limitations attached to melodic death and Sujin are doing their very best to stretch the boundaries as far as they can. Which is a brave move for a band on their debut album. And although it’s not their downfall, it is their (potential) Achilles heel.
I have nothing but praise for the band in their attempts to make this album varied, not play it safe etc… For my own personal tastes, I could sit and listen to the heavier side all day. The slower side of their repertoire… Well, it takes away from the momentum that’s been built up.
“Wasted Progress” is the unfortunately titled track that fits the brief here. It’s not a bad track at all, it just slows down the flow of the album and doesn’t quite sit right with me. Maybe it should have been transformed into an epic finale instead, who knows.
But in all honesty, if that’s all I can find fault with, the band are most definitely onto something here. The lead guitar work hints at an early 80s influence and I could hear hints of Danish masters Mercyful Fate and even earlier Pretty Maids. Just that classic European metal sound from that era. Mix that up with a Hardcore influenced bounce, a smattering of more modern traits and a balanced level of melody, and you have this album.
There aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to every new band and every new release, but if you have a spare 43 minutes, give this a little bit of your time.
