Royal Sorrow - Innerdeeps - review
Royal Sorrow - Innerdeeps - review
Tracklist
01. Let Go02. Metrograve
03. Samsara
04. Release Your Shadow
05. Evergreen
06. Survival Complex
07. Bloodflower
08. Looking Glass
09. Give In
10. Innerdeeps
A review by
musclassia October 02, 2025
The Finnish trio (having lost their second guitarist over the summer) are effectively a rebranding of progressive metal band Edge Of Haze; the name change coincided with signing with InsideOut Records, but was intended to reflect the substantial changes that have accumulated in the band’s sound, warranting a fresh start under a new name. Near the entirety of debut record Innerdeeps had trickled out as singles over the course of the past year, building the hype for what feels destined to be a breakthrough release.
Of the acts mentioned in the opening blurb, Royal Sorrow sound much closer to Vola, particularly in the chorus of a song such as “Samsara”, although this album in general has both more intense djent heaviness (particularly in the bridges) and more overtly poppy hooks than their Danish counterparts. There’s little real resemblance to Sleep Token, although perhaps the softer touch of “Looking Glass” might draw comparison, as well as the R&B/pop influences evident in the verse and chorus of the closing title track. Other groups that might come to mind at times on the record include TesseracT, Amaranthe and Voyager, but Royal Sorrow also bring their own fresh voice to this musical niche.
The opening track lurks somewhere between an intro and a full song, with just the one verse and chorus, but the bright keyboards/synths and rich melody, as well as the more understated feel of the multi-phase verse contrasted with the grand bombast of the chorus, means that “Let Go” sets the tone of the record very clearly. Coming right after is perhaps the most immediately hooky chorus on the album in “Metrograve”, showing the alternative metal side of the album, but there’s also some real muscular djent riffing across the song, including fun syncopation to contrast the directness of the chorus vocal lines. “Evergreen” subsequently strikes a similar balance between intrinsic accessibility and punchy groove.
The overarching vibe of the album’s first half is reasonably consistent; there are occasional glimpses of harsh vocals, but both “Samsara” and “Release Your Shadow” are quite similar in dabbling with a mixture of Amaranthe-style synths, big choruses, chunky djent breakdowns in the bridge, and harder-hitting riffs that occasionally up the intensity without going crazy. The second half of the record shows off more of the band’s wider range; as mentioned earlier, there’s tenderness in “Looking Glass” and easy-going poppy hooks in the first couple of minutes of “Innerdeeps” (which also reminds me of elements from Daniel Tompkins in his solo work), but there’s moments and songs of real aggression to be encountered as well.
The first real demonstration of what Royal Sorrow have in their arsenal is “Survival Complex”, which has a rather abrasive first main riff, intense emotion in a heavy verse, screams in the chorus, technical riffing in the bridge (wonderfully complemented by a fast synth line), and a really crunching ending, all squeezed into four minutes. “Give In” is similarly condensed, and also has screaming aggression in pre-chorus and bridge sections (there’s moments here that unexpectedly give off a bit of NWOAHM energy), but this track perhaps stands out most for its chorus hook, which is increasingly bombastic and layered with every repeat.
Alongside the djent leanings of the instrumentation, Royal Sorrow lurk somewhere between alternative and progressive metal, and there’s two slightly longer songs that best exhibit the latter side. There are shades of Monuments and TesseracT to “Bloodflower”, which features multiple solos (one quite bluesy in a mellow midsection, one shreddier) and a good mix of passionate cleans and roaring growls. While it’s a solid song overall, it is perhaps least memorable out of any track when it comes to the chorus hook; the closing title track is much more of an earworm on that front, but after all the levity and accessibility of its opening minutes, it takes a stark turn towards real aggression in the second half, bringing plenty of harsh vocals, low crunching djent and slick technicality to round off the album emphatically.
Some of the cheesier elements of Innerdeeps may be offputting to the more purist metal fans, but as someone who has really struggled to connect with Sleep Token and post-debut Spiritbox, I find Royal Sorrow’s fusion of djent with mainstream music influences to be a far more satisfying and compelling one, and I hope that they may find a modicum of those groups’ success.
Written on 02.10.2025 by
Written on 02.10.2025 by
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Posts: 228
Great discovery here. That's the kind of modern metal band i really like, and singer has a powerful voice.
---- https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7023
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Posts: 228 |
Posts: 228
Great discovery here. That's the kind of modern metal band i really like, and singer has a powerful voice.
---- https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7023
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