2023 was a big year for Dying Wish, who only continue to gain momentum. The Portland metalcore band successfully completed their first headlining tour in November/December with Foreign Hands, Boundaries, and Roman Candle. Dying Wish sold out 18 of 23 shows on their “Come and Be Killed” U.S. tour. (We covered one of these sold-out dates here.)
Additionally, their second album Symptoms of Survival made it onto quite a few best-of lists this year. Melodic and aggressive, it’s comparable to the early 2000s metalcore sound popularized by bands like Killswitch Engage. In particular, riffs on standout tracks “Torn From Your Silhouette”, “Path To Your Grave” and “Lost in the Fall” are reminiscent of that era. Additionally, the album features artwork from Paul Romano (known for his 2000s Mastodon and Trivium album covers, including the iconic Leviathan). Midway through, the atmospheric, ballad-like “Paved in Sorrow” builds up and transitions nicely into the volatile “Tongues of Lead”. This emotional two-song sequence shows off the band’s dynamics and vocalist Emma Boster’s versatility. While fiercely urgent, Symptoms of Survival maintains a strong sense of unity and flow. Emma referred to the album as a whole composition, “an eleven-part piece covering the complexity of human suffering in all forms”.
Dying Wish maintain a unique identity while paying tribute to their influences. The result is an excellent record that should appeal to fans of Bleeding Through and Killswitch Engage as well as Spiritbox. Expect Dying Wish to carry their strong momentum into 2024. They’re now set to tour Australia for the first time, supporting The Acacia Strain along with Volatile Ways for nine shows in January.
