Album review: The Gloom In The Corner – Royal Discordance

At the crossroads between anime intros, guitars the size of mountains, John Wick films and wild storylines, you’ll find Aussies The Gloom In The Corner. Penning a story that has Australia under tyrannical rule, the album continues where previous release Trinity and 2024’s single The Jericho Protocol left off to spin a tale of revolution, death, destruction and revenge across 50 minutes.

Setting up both the in-music story and the sonic journey comes The Problem With Apocalyptic Tyranny, a harsh, abrasive start to the album that lets the listener peer into the well before you fall in completely. A mosh call of ‘No God is above me!’ leads into a furious breakdown before the back half of the track alternates between lyrical plot weaving and crushing riffs in equal measure.

This intimidating start is followed immediately by a song that’s not only the catchiest on the album, but maybe in the band’s entire discography. You Didn’t Like Me Then (You Wouldn’t Like Me Now) is an uplifting track about accepting yourself put to a bouncy alt. metalcore soundtrack that vocalist Mikey Arthurs states came from the question, “What if The Gloom In The Corner wrote a My Chem song?”

With orchestral elements found throughout, the album doesn’t so much progress as it does soar. Each new twist or turn is marked by scathing guitar tones that shriek into the void, or with haunting violin stabs and mournful cello, bringing the mood down to suit the tone. Nowhere is this more clear than the one-two punch finale of Love I: A Quaver Through The Pale and Love II: A Walk Amongst The Poppy Fields, a duo that act as a funeral song and personal farewell, not only to the listener but also characters within the story itself.

On album four, The Gloom In The Corner have found their feet and shot for the moon – and whilst they might not have reached it just yet, they’ve most certainly landed in the stars.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Alpha Wolf, ten56., Left To Suffer

Royal Discordance is released on February 27 via SharpTone