Release Date July 17th, 2025
Format Digital
Genre Metalcore, Djent
Origin USA
Under Auburn Skies formed in Denver during the autumn of 2016, introducing themselves soon afterward with the single “Perseverance.” Their first EP, “Afterimage,” arrived in 2018, followed by a long writing period during the pandemic that produced “Diminisher Of Hope.” Before this cycle, the group spent several years building its Denver profile through aggressive live sets and sold out local dates. The current lineup consists of Sebastian Gorklo on vocals, Oscar Morales and Zach Morgan on guitars, Jose Morales on bass, and Martin Pasillas on drums. Issued independently, the EP was produced by Under Auburn Skies with Emilio Lujan and Jaxon Stunden.
Nick Nordurft tracked the drums at Rusty Sun Audio, Lujan handled guitars and bass, and Stunden handled vocals plus additional guitars at The Blasting Room. Chris Wiseman completed the final mix and master. “The Pale King,” issued with a video ahead of the EP, introduces the darker direction through restrained keyboards, downtuned guitars, brutal vocals, and urgent rhythmic movement. The broader approach places modern metalcore beside djent shaped riffing, melodic sections, and an atmosphere built around despair, strain, and internal collapse.
“Diminisher Of Hope” presents Under Auburn Skies at a productive stage, using enough restraint to make its heavier sections matter and enough melodic contrast to stop the EP becoming one long breakdown cycle. The guitars use syncopation and low register impact as the main engine, while the keyboards add cold space around the riffs. Gorklo moves between guttural attacks and melodic lines with measured intent, giving the songs an emotional center that never turns sentimental. The rhythm section stays disciplined, supporting sudden changes while the arrangements remain song centered.
Production is modern and compressed, with the low end placed high in the mix and the vocals pushed forward. At times, the sonic treatment narrows the guitar character and makes several transitions resemble current genre formulas. The melodic hooks also vary in quality, with certain refrains arriving too predictably after the heavier sections. The short format leaves little excess, although recurring melodic chorus placement becomes easy to anticipate later. Those limitations do not erase the EP’s focused pacing or its bleak emotional pull.
“The Pale King” represents the release accurately, combining atmosphere, aggression, and accessible structure in a way that places Under Auburn Skies near Polaris, Invent Animate, Make Them Suffer, Currents, and Wage War while retaining enough separation from direct imitation. “Diminisher Of Hope” is a compact modern metalcore release with disciplined writing, strong vocal presence, and enough variation to justify repeated plays. It needs a more individual guitar character and less reliance on expected chorus placement before Under Auburn Skies can separate itself fully from a crowded field. As it stands, this is a respectable step forward, built with care and delivered with little wasted motion.
|7.5
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