An album closer has a particular job to do. It needs to feel like an ending while leaving enough behind to make you want to start the record again. On Diminisher of Hope, Under Auburn Skies hands that responsibility to “Final Sin.”
The Denver melodic metalcore band has spent close to a decade developing their sound, drawing from the same modern heavy world occupied by bands including Polaris, Invent Animate, Make Them Suffer, ERRA and Phinehas. Across Diminisher of Hope, that experience is channeled into six tracks that balance melody with the heavier, more aggressive side of metalcore.
“Final Sin” brings the record to its conclusion and has become one of the tracks highlighted by listeners alongside “The Pale King”.
Without specific press information explaining the lyrical meaning behind “Final Sin,” there is no need to force a story onto it. Its place on the record already makes it significant. After the short introduction of “First Blood,” Diminisher of Hope moves through “World-Eater,” “The Pale King,” “Gravemind,” and “Dathomir” before reaching its final track.
It’s a compact album, but there are years of experience behind it.
Under Auburn Skies have shared stages with an impressive list of heavier acts, including All That Remains, Born of Osiris, Norma Jean, Darkest Hour, Like Moths to Flames, Entheos, VCTMS and Phinehas. Rather than developing solely in a studio, their music has been shaped by years spent playing to audiences who already know exactly what they want from metalcore.
Their recording history carries similar weight. Previous record Invention of Reason was created during five days at Hallway Studios in California, with Zach Tuch engineering, mixing and mastering the project. For Diminisher of Hope, Under Auburn Skies continued expanding their studio experience, tracking vocals and additional guitar at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins.
It’s a studio with some serious history behind it, having hosted artists including Rise Against, Descendents, As I Lay Dying, Bad Religion, A Day To Remember, Stick To Your Guns, and Comeback Kid.
All of that experience feeds into an album that doesn’t feel like a band tentatively introducing itself.
Instead, Diminisher of Hope captures Under Auburn Skies after years spent refining what they want their melodic metalcore to sound like. “The Pale King” might offer one obvious entry point, but “Final Sin” shows why reaching the end of the record is equally worthwhile.
For listeners discovering the band through the album, it’s a closing track that leaves the door wide open for whatever Under Auburn Skies decide to build next.
https://open.spotify.com/track/6G6q5kN1MWiClfAbZf8H8d?si=f2c9185a3aa74915
