Metalcore’s Cinematic Power
Written by Tobias Djekic
I love when a song begins and a clear picture forms in your mind. Two people can hear the same track and see completely different stories: one imagines a band on a windswept mountain, another a neon-lit city at midnight. Gloom in the Corner specializes in that cinematic quality. Their tracks are flexible enough to score an anime, a Netflix drama, or a modern game—sometimes all at once—because the band’s sound is both distinctive and broadly cinematic. Their engineering prowess is the engine behind it: bold production, purposeful arrangements, and melodies that lodge themselves in your memory. Drop one of their songs into the right scene and listeners lock in—whether they’re metalcore diehards or newcomers drawn in by sheer intensity. Royal Discordance proves they’re pushing the genre forward with ambition and craft.
The Problem With Apocalyptic Tyranny
This is an emergency broadcast: the opening explodes as if someone has kicked down your door and screamed in your face. The vocal track is heavily processed—distortion and saturation push the screams forward, leaving little room for clarity in the opening minutes. Sparse moments of clarity arrive early, then the mix tightens again, and when it opens up an orchestral choir swells behind the guitars, lifting the arrangement into something almost majestic before the next descent into violence. The power is immense and uncompromising; casual listeners may be intimidated, but those who stick through the chaos are rewarded with a violent beauty that lingers.
You Didn’t Like Me Then (You Won’t Like Me Now)
Explosive starts return with no time to breathe. This track tightens the balance between distorted screams and rapid, clear lines so effectively you might swear two vocalists are trading blows—yet it’s all Mikey Arthur. His ability to switch instantly between raw and melodic is surgical. Guitar and drums constantly jockey for the spotlight while the bass holds everything together, gluing the arrangement with low-end weight. Transitions are instantaneous and thrilling, and when the song cuts off abruptly at its peak you’re left wanting more—a deliberate tease that underscores the band’s appetite for intensity.
Painkiller Soliloquy
The beat hits heavy and fast, making you want to bounce in place. Mikey alternates rapid-fire screams with clear, melodic lines with surgical precision—his shifts become the song’s focal point. Drums and guitars accent rather than overpower; the bass glues the low end so the whole thing feels cohesive. Breakdowns arrive with the right amount of space so the crowd can scream along; the vocal cues are clear enough that even first-time listeners can join in. This is a song meant to be screamed from the top of your lungs, but it’s also crafted so anyone can latch onto the elongated notes and feel part of the band.
Short Range Teleportation (A Guide To Guerrilla Warfare)
A softer opening lets wildlife sounds breathe before an orchestral fanfare swells with angelic vocals—then Mikey’s screams crash in, reminding you this band writes with unpredictability in mind. The fanfare never fully fades; instead, it propels the arrangement, forcing guitars and drums to strike harder and chords to land with deliberate malice. The song feels torn between serenity and violence, and that tension is its strength: orchestration pushes the band into more aggressive territory without losing the cinematic thread.
Nope (Hollow Point Elysium)
Guns being loaded—the track opens like a magazine being chambered, tension before the onslaught. Tempo eases so notes can breathe; each hit feels measured and controlled, which makes the heavier moments land with greater force. Lines end with a poignancy that pulls you back for another listen—there’s a hook in the phrasing that rewards repetition and makes every replay feel more intense. It’s measured, controlled, and quietly relentless.
Angel’s Wrath Whiskey
An upbeat, explosively fast start leans into clearer vocals while the instruments weave in a way the album hasn’t shown until now. Screams erupt as part of a careful build, almost whispered one moment and full-throttle the next. The chorus opens like a grand stage—your hands rocket into the air and you sway, then drop them for pit-jumping verses. The constant switch keeps you on your toes; by the end the pace ramps up and the familiar scream returns. This track engineers both sing-along grandeur and moshable ferocity in the same breath—one of the album’s true highlights.
Shadow Rhapsody II
A delicate piano opens the track, immediately draining the album’s kinetic energy and holding it in a single, powerful moment. Piano and lead vocal weave with soft harmonies, inviting you to sit and let the melody wash over you. Even when heavier beats intrude between verses, they act as gentle anchors rather than energy spikes—this song revitalizes rather than excites, and that restraint is its triumph. You can tell the band wants to break out and become more explosive, but the nature of the piece won’t allow it; the restraint is intentional and deeply affecting.
Assassination Run
The album returns to expected ferocity: a guttural growl launches into a powerplay that could give you whiplash. Each line ends with a primordial scream that distorts the mix, yet the notes are spaced so the underlying riffs can flood through. Even when the scream recedes it lingers as texture—every player seems to be holding back a personal primal roar until they can claim their moment. It’s raw, relentless, and expertly controlled.
That’s Life (Carry Me Home)
This album’s anthem delivers everything you want: a hooky intro that locks you in, the fast-paced moments you’ve come to expect, and the deep guttural screams that define the band. The chorus is deceptively simple—catchy enough to lodge in your head and trigger a physical reaction—while the band’s back-and-forth trade-offs put the listener squarely in the middle of the performance. You’ll come back to this one, and it’s the track you’ll proudly show friends when they ask what you’ve been listening to.
Army Of Darkness
Immediate punch to the face—guttural growls and a relentless powerplay that refuses to let go. Clean and screamed vocals wash through the mix, sometimes sharing the spotlight, sometimes trading it in perfect synchronicity. A well-placed pause amplifies the tension, and an unexpected tempo switch reorients the song before a more subdued finish whips you from one extreme to the next. It’s a masterclass in dynamic control.
Love I: A Quaver Through the Pale
A piano opens like a weight dropped into the room—this track demands attention. It reads like a prophecy and an apology at once: the band doesn’t hold back because they must, but because the song calls for it. Even as the tempo picks up, the emotional weight remains central; heavier instrumentation would have felt like an injustice. When the band finally yields to a harder push, the vocals command the moment and deliver it with poetic force.
Love II: A Walk Amongst The Poppy Fields
The final journey brings the album together. Rather than repeat itself, the band lays everything on the table—full ensemble moments, callbacks to earlier motifs, and dramatic builds that culminate in a genuine release of power. This is less a single song than an operation: a carefully staged finale that repurposes key moments from the record into a cohesive, emotionally satisfying close. The attention to detail is monstrous; even a single listen reveals the care with which motifs and textures are woven across the album.
Conclusion
Gloom in the Corner is a beast finally unleashed. Even as they explore new corners of the genre, they already make waves through bold experimentation and confident engineering. The band sounds like a powerhouse gearing up to take the world by storm: cinematic in scope, relentless in execution, and surprisingly versatile in tone. Royal Discordance proves they can write songs that function as standalone anthems and as cinematic cues—heavy vocal processing, orchestral swells, tight low-end glue, and precise vocal dynamics create moments that are both viscerally thrilling and technically impressive. This is only their third full-length album, and it already shows a band comfortable with risk and skilled in execution. I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see how they evolve and how they continue to shape what metal can be.
Rating: 9/10
Royal Discordance Track Listing:
01. The Problem with Apocalyptic Tyranny
02. You Didn’t Like Me Then (You Won’t Like Me Now)
03. Painkiller Soliloquy
04. Short Range Teleportation (A Guide to Guerrilla Warfare)
05. Nope (Hollow Point Elysium)
06. Angel’s Wrath Whiskey
07. Shadow Rhapsody II
08. Assassination Run
09. That’s Life (Carry Me Home)
10. Army of Darkness
11. Love I: A Quaver Through the Pale
12. Love II: A Walk Amongst the Poppy Fields
