Sores "Sores" CD

Sores are another new and rising band from Greece and today we are talking about their self-titled full length debut. While the band has only been formed in 2017 the band leader Nick must be one of the hardest working members of the scene as he is also involved in other top notch acts like Sorgelig, Isolert, or Nihilsect. Anyone familiar with those bands will know what to expect: Bleak and nihilistic black metal that is going to rip your ears and soul.
With an emphasis on creepy melodies and an energetic not to mention all-out aggressive take on the aforementioned genre, Sores tear through their compositions in a highly confident and determined manner, and the great thing about this offering of theirs is that it is memorable and captivating all the way through. I tend to use words and phrases ala vile and unholy when reviewing black metal that harkens back to the days of old, and in this case those words totally apply. I think the most important thing to take away from this one is that Sores have a firm and proper grasp of how to write metal tunes that are as grotesque and haunting as they are memorable.
Deeply atmospheric, the songs use a black metal base to craft highly emotive music, weaving esoteric moods and blackened tapestries with ease. This is music that’s richly textured with nuance and subtlety, even when at its most blisteringly aggressive. Dissonance and melody rub shoulders with tasteful harmonies, inventive structures, and creative songwriting. Psychedelic and atmospheric avenues are frequently explored, and each track is constructed with thought, imagination, and skill. There’s an experimental streak here too, although this is tamed by the band’s blackened roots and stoic metal riffs, resulting in subtly avant-garde stylings and flourishes of darkly colorful ideas. The vocals are fierce and evil with the singer’s tone having a real recognition value. He is barking and howling and screaming like a dog of war ramping up the intensity of the album even more. It is not so easy to judge black metal vocals as they are most of the time mainly about sounding as aggressive and evil as possible but what I can say without hesitation is that his style is perfectly fitting the music. Add to all this a transparent production job giving each instrument enough room to breathe without burying any detail in the mix and we got a clear winner here.

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