Band:	Humanity's Last Breath
Album:	Välde
Style:	Djent, Technical deathcore
Release date:	February 2021

01. Dödsdans
02. Glutton
03. Earthless
04. Descent
05. Spectre
06. Dehumanize
07. Hadean
08. Tide
09. Väldet
10. Sirens
11. Futility
12. Vittring

It is a bit weird seeing a Lewandowski cover art for a deathcore album, but Välde is monolithic enough to earn it.

Humanity's Last Breath had somewhat of a revival in 2016, when all but one member left the lineup, and even though there has been a drummer change since, it's clear that reinvention was extremely vital for the sound that the band is approaching here. Though I hadn't listened to the band prior to the release of 2019's Abyssal, it was quite clear to me that it was on a different level than what they had previously done, and though I didn't find the time to review it, mostly because I was busy but also because I felt it was still missing a little something to complete the sound, I was still impressed by their atmospheric take on djenty deathcore. Those who have been following my reviews know that I like my deathcore slow and atmospheric. So when I saw the cover art for Välde, I just knew.

It's clear that the band purposefully went in a direction that would fit such a monolithic cover art, hence why their tried to emphasize the atmospheric side of their sound. Obviously, this is still deathcore with a healthy dose of djent, and there's only so much atmospheric death metal you can sprinkle on top, but Välde just might be the most I've heard this sound go in that direction. Abyssal was already a great forerunner that had its interesting take on this same direction, but it didn't feel as cohesive and matured as it feels here. The breakdowns and chugs are pushed to their uttermost slowest pace and grandiose weight, making the faster paces in something like "Dehumanize" feel like such huge releases to the buildup.

There are a handful of dramatic/cinematic symphonic and electronic and bits of black metal injections to the sound, not really as widespread as a lot of symphonic deathcore bands, but enough to add an increase sense of grandiosity, which is extremely welcome on the record. Obviously the album isn't all atmosphere, but the ways that the band achieves said atmosphere, taking just the basic trademarks of the deathcore sound: the chugs, breakdowns, and low-register vocals, and applying all these textures and injections very tastefully, reminds me a lot of other atmospheric/dissonant death metal bands, but with deathcore molded in that cast.

So if the core sound has been pushing forward into a more atmospheric direction with the help of Black Tongue, Abigail Williams or Lorna Shore, here comes Humanity's Last Breath to lay a pretty decisive brick. Tastefully adding orchestration without being symphonic, adding atmospheric extreme metal without compromising the core fundamentals, and just generally feeling absolutely massive. At 51 minutes, this is far from a long album, but a few editing choices (like removing the fadeout of "Dehumanize" and cutting at least one song) would've made the album razor sharp.