Review Summary: With their debut, Corpus Christi show that they may not be in the big leagues quite yet, but they certainly have the potential to get there.
Metalcore. Initially regarded as the natural successor of nu-metal, nowadays it is closer to the new hair-metal, as a few pioneering (and actually interesting) bands gave way to a slew of variably-skilled imitators, quickly saturating the scene and leading to it being seen as more of a joke than anything else. Such is the status quo today, and it came as no surprise that melodic metalcore was soon replaced by the new “it” thing, deathcore – the fate of which seems destined to be very similar to that of its predecessors.
However, as metalcore gasps its dying throes, a few bands seem adamant on throwing their own ten cents into the wishing well and making an honest career out of the faddish genre. And while most of these are talentless hacks who predictably never get past the first album (again, a la hair metal), a few actually seem to have something to offer the scene, if not originality-wise, then at least in what concerns songwriting. Just such a band is Corpus Christi, a relatively discreet representative of a very particular genre-within-a-genre: Christian metalcore. The group currently have two albums out, with
The Darker Shades Of White being their very promising debut.
In fact, while this 2009 album is by no means original-sounding – an uninformed party would have a hard time telling this band apart from All That Remains – it at least offers honest, somewhat inspired songwriting, as well as a collection of decent choruses to headbang to. And while, again, there is nothing here as immediately catchy or engaging as
This Calling or
Better Days, a few of the songs come close, showing that Corpus Christi may not be in the big leagues just yet, but they definitely have the potential to get there.
Musically and songwriting-wise, this album offers very few surprises. Corpus Christi are practicing by-the-books metalcore, as is wont to happen with bands still in the genre classroom, and all the trappings of the genre are present. There are edgy melodeath riffs, harsh vocals, clean, sung chorus sections, suitably emo-ish lyrics, and an average of two strategically-placed breakdowns per song, even if half of them sound like they didn’t need to exist. There are also some mild attempts at sounding
post and progressive, mainly through the inclusion of slight atmospheric touches on a few of the choruses, and even a traditionally-rooted solo or a blastbeat here and there. The harsher vocals and melodic leads are very reminiscent of All That Remains, but the clean sections are somewhat more nasal, and actually more along the lines of The Agony Scene. Percussion is frenzied and varied, and the breakdowns would make any deathcore band blush. The lyrics span the usual gamut of tortured love and self-confidence in the face of obstacles, with occasionally smarter passages or subject matter (
Marylin, which broaches abuse against women) and redemptive or religious messages broad enough to encompass any denomination. It all smacks of the work of every veteran group in the genre - which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.
In fact, Corpus Christi show themselves to be good students, as they repeat the lessons from their elders nearly verbatim, and add a little of their personality in the process. The first four tracks of this album all have very strong choruses, even if not all of the songs themselves are top-notch. The best representative, and the one most people will remember, can be found on
It’s Always Been Darkest Before The Dawn, which ironically is one of the most average songs on
The Darker Shades Of White. Both its predecessor and its successor clearly supplant it, and songs like
Baptized In Fire or
Sacrifice trample all over it with size 9 Doc Martens. And while the album does start to lag pretty soon – with a trio of uninspired songs towards the middle – the ending run is sufficiently strong to pick up the slack, making this a very balanced, pleasant listen.
Standouts include the aforementioned
Baptized In Fire and
Sacrifice, as well as
Western Downfall, a song where the chorus is nowhere near as catchy as on the remaining songs, but which triumphs on above-average structuring. Strong backup tracks like
Parade Of Scars, a great welcoming card, and
Prodigal – basically one gigantic breakdown which evolves into a somewhat experimental semi-instrumental – provide enough quality to make this a recommended listen for fans of the genre looking for a new band to adore. While Corpus Christi are not quite up there with the likes of All That Remains, God Forbid or Shadows Fall, they need but to polish a few sparse details to be apt to join in with that group. Unfortunately, lineup woes may prevent that next step from ever taking place; let’s hope they don’t, for the sake of good metalcore.
Recommended Tracks
Marylin
Baptized In Fire
Western Downfall
Sacrifice
