While the deathcore genre really has not put out any stellar releases this year, or really in the past couple of years, Rings of Saturn have put together quite a collection of songs in their latest release, Ultu Ulla (Nuclear Blast). While not being a fan of the earlier material, this latest album from the Bay Area Deathcore group actually had me intrigued for a few spins. Between the guitar wankery and the well-placed/tasteful breakdowns, the record carries itself from start to finish with no real need for a skip button.

Funny enough, the first song on Ultu Ulla that stood out to me was the first instrumental track, ‘Unhallowed’. It is a nice track that does not overstay its welcome comes complete with a minute long classical guitar shredding lesson that is appeasing and technically sound. As for the rest of the album, ‘The Relic’ has a great transition from the typical over the top guitar playing, down to a groove section, and then spills into a breakdown to end the song. Another fantastic track that knows how to catch my ear is ‘Harvest’. The intro riff which sounds like a circus totally draws me in as does any other band that pulls those riffs off. The song then immediately jumps into what you expect from Rings of Saturn, yet they keep grooves going long enough where you can really enjoy passages of the song and not handfuls of seconds. Oh and my inner college student self absolutely adored that breakdown at the end.

While Rings of Saturn may not have won me over with their back catalog, their latest in Ultu Ulla has my attention. While this album may not be an all-time Deathcore classic album, it will certainly remain fresh in listener’s heads for the remaining months of this year.

7.0/10

TIM LEDIN