ALBUM REVIEW: ROYAL DISCORDANCE BY THE GLOOM IN THE CORNER
Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Release date 27 February 2026
Melbourne's The Gloom In The Corner are Mikey Arthur (vocals), Jesse Abdurazak (guitar), Paul Musolino (bass) and Joshua Clinch (drums) and they are releasing their third full-length album ‘Royal Discordance’. It is a record that has 12 tracks of pure infectious metalcore with a cinematic vision: widescreen insidious images paired with sonic wrath and metal carnage. It is clearly articulated in the first song and runs through the album to the end. ‘Royal Discordance’ is laced with huge ambition and The Gloom In The Corner ‘pull it off’ in style.
The album opens with ‘The Problem with Apocalyptic Tyranny’ with its big native drum sounds before the vocal fry screaming and rapid-fire drums and bassline underpin some guitars. It’s a hard message about “being f@#ked over” and suffering betrayal. The clean singing used sparingly asks “who will save us” and that “words have not much meaning”. The following track ‘You Didn’t Like Me Then (You Won’t Like Me Now)’ starts with a sample of a woman talking and then more rapid-fire drums, a huge bassline, and squall of guitars in a blistering sonic attack deliver a narrative about a failed relationship where the wish to kill the other is an open secret. ‘Painkiller Soliloquy’ gets to the heart of the album that is mired in pain: “He looks in the mirror and doesn’t like what he sees” as the protagonist imagines an ex’s heels on “broken ground” and other things they harm.
The pounding bass, intense percussion breakdowns, heavy vocal fry, clean vocals, and harsh lyrical narratives are all about the pain in life. The bird song leads in, ‘Short Range Teleportation (A Guide to Guerrilla Warfare)’ and the sound is big and haunting before the vocal screams cut in. The warning of just know, “if you see me coming/it’s too late”. Then, mechanism noises of ‘Nope (Hollow Point Elysium)’ with the deep drum rhythm and vocal droning sounds truly apocalyptic. The lyrics talk about the “pills”, “ricochets” and “open wounds” that links the lyrical narrative to the preceding songs.
The album takes a dynamic sonic shift in ‘Angel’s Wrath Whiskey’. The track starts as a heavier rock song until the whiplash drums, swirling synth panic, and razor-blade guitars cut in. It is a highlight as ‘Angel’s Wrath Whiskey’ highlights the band’s ability to rapid fire drums, a big guitar riff, frantic but meticulous strings and a catchy chorus and delivers an anthemic song. ‘Shadow Rhapsody II’ rocks in over 6 minutes as its lilting piano is given expansive air and the clean vocals as the lyrics discuss the cutting of bones, stitches and scars as there is a wish to go home as shadows walk paired with a huge and heavy drum beats as it cuts in and out with symphonic style. ‘Assassination Run’ has grinding guitars and a heavy vocal fry before more whiplash drums talk of “body bags” and “play the f@#king game”.
The melody line of this song, ‘That’s Life (Carry Me Home)’ with its hand claps and symphonic metallic sound is another album highlight. I can see this song being a huge fan favourite singalong at gigs. Then, ‘Army of Darkness’ follows with drums being lashed, thumping bass, and huge screamcore vocals until the clean singing cuts into a fantastic chorus. It has fantasy game samples woven into the lyrical narrative with a huge guitar solo.
The album closes with the two-part song ‘Love I: A Quaver Through the Pale’ and ‘Love II: A Walk Amongst the Poppy Fields’. ‘Love I: A Quaver Through the Pale’ has piano and beautiful clean singing leading in the unconventional love song and farewell to a lover as death is chasing and will have its dominion as the drums pound and the vocals swell in emotion and guitar solo.
The last song is ‘Love II: A Walk Amongst the Poppy Fields’ and it has samples of a female narrating a letter to the fictional character Sherlock informing him that she “hopes she not died in vain” before the big drums and a traditional metalcore sonic palette embeds the sound and symphonic chorus.
Mikey Arthur has a powerful voice that brings life to these songs. The songs have a real sensory feel and rhythm through the instrumentation provided by Jesse Abdurazak, Paul Musolino and the amazing ability of Joshua Clinch drumming and the creative use of pauses. The Gloom In The Corner’s ‘Royal Discordance’ is a bold and brave album: a lyrical metalcore journey through life, pain, beauty and death with alcohol joining the ride to numb the anguish. Harmony is not short here. Check this album out – it will surprise and delight!
