Seizing the moment.

Dying Wish’s debut album Fragments of a Bitter Memory was simply undeniable. In the few short years since their inception, the band had settled on a unique sonic footing somewhere between the metalcore that dominated the early to mid 2000s and modern hardcore, and while their previously released music showcased enough promise to turn heads, Fragments demanded attention and kept it. It truly felt like a moment, not just for Dying Wish, but for the genres that they effortlessly blended into their signature amalgamation of aggression. After a couple years of seemingly endless touring, the Portland quintet’s presence felt much less like that of a young band on the rise and more like what is often associated with veterans in the scene, setting the stage for their sophomore album Symptoms of Survival to thrive. And while many other bands would have leaned into the most commercial elements of their sound in an effort to reach new listeners, Dying Wish is thankfully not those other bands - the result is a relentless behemoth of a record that manages to outdo its predecessor in every conceivable way.

The amount of time Dying Wish spent honing their sound is immediately apparent from the first moments of title track and album opener “Symptoms of Survival.” From machine-tight riffing to frontperson Emma Boster’s vocals sounding even more visceral and ferocious than before, everything that was already working well for Dying Wish has been tightened up and somehow improved upon. The crushing track centers around precise chugging and an infectious ascending power chord riff, steadily building as each section is somehow more intense than the one that preceded it until the song ends with a breakdown that can only accurately be described as disgusting. “Watch My Promise Die” follows, with a monstrous first verse designed for the moshers, but what follows is the first moment on the record where the band fully embrace this 00’s metalcore sound - a massive palm muted arpeggiated guitar riff before the first of a select few soaring refrains to be found on the record. This moment of reprieve does not last long, as the band take full advantage of this melodic detour to make the final breakdown of the song hit like a brick wall as the track slows to a crawl. A pair of all-too-brief heavy hitters follow with “Starved” and “Prey for Me” - the latter of which being potentially the most pissed off song in the band’s (albeit brief) catalog. “Prey for Me” is exhilarating throughout its barely-over-two-minute runtime, resolving in a breakdown that would make any fan of beatdown grin ear to ear. “Path to Your Grave” introduces some death metal-inspired tremolo-picked riffing into the formula, with the first true chorus on the album seamlessly transitioning out of the chaos. 

“Paved in Sorrow” is the first real departure on the record, as the band try their hands at a ballad. Eerie and ethereal verses give way to stadium-sized buzzsaw guitars underneath one hell of a chorus, with Boster choosing to sing a vast majority of the track. This type of song can make or break a band in this style, but Dying Wish absolutely nail it. The record immediately picks back up with three of the fastest and most aggressive songs on the album. “Tongues of Lead” is a barrage of palm mutes and blast beats destined to be a live staple, and “Kiss of Judas” is unrelenting in every sense, boasting a couple of the most rewarding breakdowns on the entire record. “Hell’s Final Blessing” wraps up this monster string of tracks with endless blistering guitar riffs and a masterful command of feedback to segue perfectly into “Torn From Your Silhouette”. “Torn From Your Silhouette” stands as one of the more melodic songs on the record, one that lulls the listener into a false sense of security before sending it all crashing down with a bloodthirsty double bass-led final riff. The record wraps up with “Lost in the Fall,” a colossal and layered closer that, with its show-stopping piano break before the final chorus, serves as the perfect emotional ending to a phenomenal sophomore record.

Symptoms of Survival is a bold and unrelenting statement - the embodiment of everything that Dying Wish has been so far, while pushing into new territory without hesitation, and surpassing expectations at every turn. An album of the year contender for any fan of heavy music, and an unashamed declaration that Dying Wish is here to stay, this is the most refreshing metalcore album in years.

9/10