Release date: 29th May 2026
It’s funny how things go sometimes. At the tail end of 2023, pretty much right after their tour with Holding Absence, I discovered Dark Divine and absolutely fell in love with their music. I loved the vibes, loved the way they sounded, and loved the whole spooky Halloween schtick. I couldn’t get enough of this band as I listened to them pretty heavily, and I eagerly anticipated their return to the UK so I could finally witness them in a live environment. And as soon as they were announced as the openers for Smash Into Pieces, along with an upcoming album to be released in the coming weeks afterwards, I knew I had to be there.
I’d been listening to the album promo of Undead Melody on heavy rotation on the run-up to the show, so needless to say I was sufficiently hyped up, but to say the show was a let down is an understatement and all I can do is hope that they were just having a bad day. A lifeless performance, where seemingly all frontman Anthony could say (on multiple occasions) was that they “played this exact venue last time they were in Manchester” and that they were “so far away from home”, and with little movement from anyone onstage…any enthusiasm and excitement I once had for Undead Melody was firmly quashed. After falling in love with this album, and feeling like it could wind up as one of my AOTYs, it felt like a sucker punch to the stomach to witness that they couldn’t back it up in a live environment.
People say separate the art from the artist, and at the end of the day this is an album review and not a live review – but it’s hard when listening to this album just brings me back to that disappointing night. I tried waiting another two weeks after the show before listening again in order to be able to approach it with a clear mind, but it still feels like a rock gets dropped into my stomach on every listen – and it’s a shame because Undead Melody is a solid, powerful and memorable piece. The music is incredible and it’s all killer, with zero filler tracks.
From the opener, which also serves as the title track, right through to the closing track This Is Not The End (It Only Feels Like It), Dark Divine take you on a powerful musical journey with so many earworms and catchy melodies – although annoyingly, all of the best songs have already been released as singles, leaving the ‘weaker’ scraps behind. I should note that a whole seven of them have been released. Seven! Which is almost half the album before it has even dropped!! Do people in this streaming day and age not have the attention span or patience to listen to an album how it is intended?!
In any case, there’s a nice amount of variety and Fading Away is an early highlight, with a gripping intro that leads you into a rapped opening flowing almost seamlessly into harsh sections and what is perhaps the biggest and most memorable chorus of the album. Sinfestation is perhaps a more ‘classic’ Dark Divine sounding song, having vibes akin to what you might find on their Halloweentown EP, and Half Past Dead is a stunningly emotive piece of work; from the way it opens so atmospherically combined with the powerful lyrics, it’s enough to bring a tear to your eye.
All unrelated complaints aside, it cannot be denied that Undead Melody is an insanely solid album, and is Dark Divine’s best work so far. If you like your metalcore with catchy hooks, massive choruses and some of the best bleghs you will ever bear witness to, then look no further than here.
Support: Merch
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