Sold Soul – Just Like That, I Disappear Entirely [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

Blah blah blah, deathcore sucks, blah blah, okay, we got that out of the way. Now, for everyone who likes it, come close and hear about one of the bands doing shit right. Deathcore can be incredibly varied as a genre, and among the hundreds of doggy-doo bands out there, a few break the mold. As someone who listens to a lot of different deathcore groups (judge me, I don’t give a shit), North Carolina’s Sold Soul are out here making progressive deathcore that surprises as much as it crushes your skull. Even if you don’t like Lorna Shore or, like me, find their recent albums incredibly boring, Sold Soul is here for you. Their latest, Just Like That, I Disappear Entirely, is an amalgamation of slamming deathcore, inhuman vocals, raw emotion, and some true surprises. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it avant-garde deathcore, but it is close.

One of the first things I appreciate about Just Like That, I Disappear Entirely, is the lack of repetitive breakdowns. Songs rarely slow to a crawl for chug-time; instead, much of the brutality so inherent to deathcore is found through the thick atmosphere, rich production, and slamming speed. “As Whisper, Or As Bellowing” takes a minute to writhe in its unsettling tone, with high leads and piercing riffs, only to drop into a ripping gallop that calls to mind slam more than deathcore. Stevie O’Shaughnessy’s vocals are varied and powerful, and in another point in this record’s favor, he rarely spends much time gargling into the microphone just for the hell of it. Other than an offhand snort in the opening track, Sold Soul avoids much of the vocal breakdowns that have infected modern deathcore like a plague. In fact, Stevie occasionally busts out unique clean vocals that add to the atmosphere and feel right at home with the rest of the album’s tone. Again, Sold Soul bucks trends by avoiding the typical fry, scream-singing so common in deathcore, or crooning cleans that kill momentum. The clean vocals are used sparingly and feel like an integral part of the album’s core without overstaying their welcome.

Just Like That, I Disappear Entirely has a strong emotional core bolstered by the consistent use of stringwork and piano to add to the already dense song structures. In another rarity for deathcore, the production isn’t crushed by the weight of its disparate pieces. Guitars come through clearly, strings have space to breathe, and the vocals don’t overtake the whole mix; you can even hear the bass. “To Spit Contempt on the Tail of Every Uttered Word” features a twangy lead that charges into a blistering, grooving verse bolstered by Stevie’s brutal vocals. One of the rare breakdowns on the album punches you straight in the teeth over and over, and is done as soon as it arrives; nothing on this record overstays its welcome. Before you know it, staccato bass and guest vocals from Kukeille take you on a journey back into the unique lead work and Stevie’s crooning howl.

Just Like That, I Disappear Entirely is rich, dense, and well worth delving into. The string work on “A Lament for an Abandoned Heaven All Us Who Lay Beneath” is downright gorgeous, and, despite the melodramatic song titles, the band isn’t afraid to have a sense of humor, as shown in a snippet of their recording session at the end of the album’s penultimate track. Sold Soul is doing deathcore right, don’t let the genre stop you from enjoying this monolith.

Tracks to Check Out: “For I Can Endure No Longer,” “A Lament for an Abandoned Heaven All Us Who Lay Beneath,” “That Stranger in the Red Suit, and the Many Things He Promised Me.”