As the Kingdom Drowns
39 min · 10 tracks · death metal
Technical riffs and relentless rhythms collide with intricate melodies, creating an intense and immersive death metal experience.
Top tracks — play these first
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We Were the Keepers — Opening the album with ferocious energy, this track sets the tone for the intricate musicianship and lyrical themes that follow throughout the record.
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As the Kingdom Drowns — The title track encapsulates the album's thematic depth, blending guttural vocals with melodic sections that highlight the band's technical prowess.
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Beyond the Black — This track features dynamic shifts in tempo and atmosphere, showcasing Psycroptic’s signature blend of aggression and melody while reinforcing their lyrical exploration of dark themes.
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You Belong Here, Below — With a more atmospheric approach, this track stands out by incorporating haunting melodies alongside the band's heavy sound, adding emotional depth to the album.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album showcases technical proficiency with varied compositions but lacks strong cohesion due to the cover track.
What we noticed
- Each song typically includes multiple sections with contrasting dynamics, often shifting from aggressive riffs to melodic interludes.
- The final track is a cover, which introduces a stylistic departure from the preceding material, creating a notable contrast in sound.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- intense rhythmic exploration and complexity
- immersive listening during focused sessions
- cathartic energy release at volume
- short bursts of relentless intensity
Maybe skip if you
- prefer light-hearted, melodic tunes
- want lengthy soundscapes
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 2018, As the Kingdom Drowns is Psycroptic's sixth studio album, following the critically acclaimed album, The Inherited Repression. At this point, the band had solidified their reputation within the technical death metal scene, building upon their established sound while exploring new musical territories.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Necrophagist· Obscura· Beyond Creation
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 We Were the Keepers 3:48
- 2 Frozen Gaze 4:06
- 3 Directive 3:26
- 4 Deadlands 3:24
- 5 As the Kingdom Drowns 4:27
- 6 Beyond the Black 3:46
- 7 Upon These Stones 4:53
- 8 Momentum of the Void 4:05
- 9 You Belong Here, Below 2:59
- 10 Falling (Little River Band Cover) 4:41
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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