Connecticut's Shadow of Intent got their contender for the best deathcore album of 2022 in early. Released on January 14, Elegy – the band's fourth full-length overall – comprises 13 tracks of sonic fury, with no shortage of killer electric guitar work from resident axeman Chris Wiseman.
Clocking in at a little over an hour, the album is as sprawling as it is brutal, with occasional moments of melodic intrigue offering respite from the otherwise unrelenting barrage of riffs, blast beats and guttural vocals.
This melodic-flavored savagery is perhaps best displayed on the record's second track, Saurian King, which begins with a glorious soaring lead over a chorus-touched clean arpeggiated line, before launching into a pounding instrumental section from the 0:46 mark.
And in this new playthrough premiered exclusively at Guitar World, Wiseman – armed with an Ibanez Axion Label RGA61ALN – puts the track's cornucopia of chugging riffs front and center.
A notable high point comes during Wiseman's solo, as he executes its rapid descending alternate picking lines and two-handed tapping licks with enviable precision. Check it out above.
Wiseman's tones are conjured exclusively in the box; he uses a trio of Neural DSP plugins: Archetype: Tim Henson, Fortin Nameless Suite and Archetype: John Petrucci for cleans, rhythm and leads, respectively.
“This was a particularly exciting song for me to do, as it brought out a lot more progressive elements than others and has a lot of fun time changes in the bridge section,” Wiseman says. “It's always fun to have an excuse to throw chorus on lead guitars!”
- Shadow of Intent's Elegy is out now.
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