On their first two albums, Knights of the Abyss followed in the riff-chainin’, breakdownin’ tire treads of their Glendale, Arizona neighbors Job for a Cowboy, even involving that band’s ex-drummer, Andy Rysdam, to clinch the comparison. With their third album, The Culling of Wolves, Knights of the Abyss have moved further away from the deathcore of their youth and closer to the richly melodic Pop/R&B hybrid of that other famous Glendale export, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks.

Of course I’m overstating things. Personally, I would be stoked to hear someone try to sing R&B melismas over blastbeats, but KotA are not the band to break that (or any) mold. Still, the sound overhaul on The Culling of Wolves is significant. Main songwriter/guitarist Nick Florence, the last man standing after every other member jumped shipped over the past year, is now writing music with guitar counterpoint and a bit less floorpunch fodder than past efforts. In effect he’s written a new Black Dahlia Murder album, replacing Trevor Strnad’s screechy yelp with a layered roar from newbie vocalist Harley Magnum.

I’ll take this record over most of what I’ve heard from the band’s deathcore contemporaries, but it’s strictly for “lesser of two evils” reasons. Even a stylistic upgrade can’t help that vague sensation of flatness permeating The Culling of Wolves, musically and emotionally. With the exception of the mid-paced churner “Flight of Molech,” each song features the same mechanical movement from blastbeat to thrash gallop in most every track, the same manicured guitars whose counterpoint hide some incredibly bland harmonizing. Dissonance breaks through only in the breakdowns for “Deceiver’s Creed” and “Swine of the Holy Order;” standard-issue as they may be, they’re the only moments when anything pokes through the album’s placid surface.

Knights of the Abyss spit righteous anger toward the Fed and various circles they accuse of attempting to control politics, money and thought. Their opinions ought to be heard, but this record doesn’t feel that angry. In the album’s press release, bassist Griffin Kolinski describes the lyrics in strangely neutered terms: “I’m afraid it probably is a very opinionated record, but we’re not slamming anyone; we’re just making our opinions known.” Dude, you’re in a death metal band. You should be slamming everyone. This is your platform for airing your beef. Aggressive music shouldn’t sound so anodyne.

(2 out of 5 horns)

-SR