Review Summary: The pharaohs of metalcore have returned.
Shokran is an Egyptian-themed metalcore and djent band from Russia. They have been a band for over a decade, and "Duat" is their fourth studio album. On their previous album, "Ethereal," they took a more melodic approach, which received mixed reviews. However, on "Duat," the band is back to writing hard-hitting metalcore tracks with crushing djent chugs. Guitarist Dmitry Demyanenko is a standout member of the band, and his rhythm and lead guitar playing give a distinctive identity to Shokran. The production is thick and prominent, providing the necessary punch for Dmitry's riffs to make a big impact.
The band has had changes in vocalists over the years, and the vocalist from their older albums is back, which is a pleasant surprise. He has an exceptionally wide range of vocal acrobatics, delivering mostly low gutturals on a track like "Thoth: The Silent Witness" and impressive high head voice on the climactic moment of "Tefnut: The Greatest Drought." The production is also capable of generating real power over the melodic sections. It is on par with modern bands like "Bad Omens" in terms of production, and the melodic writing is also impressive.
"Tefnut" is certainly one of the standout tracks. It has one of the catchiest and invigorating choruses of the year. With its Egyptian flair, the chorus is likely to appeal to anyone with an interest in metalcore. However, the album's 12 tracks, while great, can feel quite similar by the end of the record, leaving the listener a bit exhausted from the barrage of riffs and shimmery vocal melodies throughout. Shokran has always had this problem, as seen in "Exodus," one of their best albums with a similar issue. "Duat" could have benefited from some trimming down in album length or more variety overall. Fifty minutes is a bit long for a metalcore album, despite how great much of it is.
The band's Egyptian flair is unique to them and some other bands in the scene, most notably Born of Osiris. However, I find that Shokran is able to incorporate this Egyptian theme in a more convincing fashion. In the case of Born of Osiris, it always felt like they incorporated this into their music just to freshen things up - "huh, we've run out of ideas, guess we'll add an Egyptian lead to this section." "Duat" doesn't feel like that; it almost feels like Born of Osiris merely adopted it, but Shokran was born in it, molded by it.
Overall, "Duat" is not a disappointment. The album showcases the band's strengths in the best possible way. It is packed with whirling riff and lead guitar work that will appeal to any modern metalcore fan, but the lack of variety may be an issue for some listeners.
