REVIEW: LANDMVRKS - The Darkest Place I've Ever Been

Hailing from France, LANDMVRKS has earned the place as one of the most inspiring modern metalcore bands in the scene. The band formed in 2014 and released their debut album Hollow in 2016, with Florent Salfati as the lead vocalist, Nicholas Exposito and Paul C Wilson as the guitarists and Kevin D’Agostino as the drummer of the band. They've come a long way since the formation of the band, embarking on a world tour in 2024 that captured the attention of metal fans across the world, and have now released the latest chapter in their story, new album The Darkest Place I've Ever Been.

From the very beginning of the release it is obvious that this is going to become a staple in the metalcore genre. Opener and title track ‘The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been’ starts off with Florent’s raw and undeniably talented vocals, before it completely switches about a minute in and we are hit with the familiarity of the intense guitar riffs and heavy vocals that we all know and love. This song will certainly be one that fans will love live, with all the chanting and the screaming we can already see the mosh pits. 

‘Creature’ starts off with a fast paced beat and Florent begins rapping in French which further shows off his many vocal talents, as it then almost immediately shifts into those gnarly screams. The chorus in this song is really a catchy one - “crawling in the dark, everything we knew is falling down” - it won't take long until you're singing along with everybody else! ‘A Line In The Dust’ is definitely a favourite from the album. From the incredible vocals, to the electrifying guitar riffs and intense drumming, this song is an experience from start to finish. The snarly screams are really impressive, we are only three songs into the album and things have already heated up. 

‘Blood Red’ starts off with soft vocals and features more rapping in French. Although this song is a lot less heavy than the rest, the latter stages of the track with Florent's call of “Take. Me. To. The. Darkest. Place. I’ve. Ever. Been.” does hit incredibly hard. While listening to this song, you can hear the outpouring of emotion and it comes across as to just how much of themselves the band put into the record. Everything flows very well together, and the band has truly outdone themselves. Going seamlessly into the next song, ‘Sulfur’ takes the album up to another level. The riffs in this one are exhilarating and really bring this song together and again, the chanting of “Sulfur” and “Bring us closer to the edge” will make fans go wild during live performances. LANDMVRKS clearly put their everything into this song. 

‘Sombre 16’ is a short one, but it provides us with a hip hop type beat accompanied with more rapping. It adds something different, before diving back into the metalcore sound with the next track ‘The Great Unknown.’ The vocals in this track are raw and raspy, with a lot of brutal, and outstanding, screaming. ‘The Great Unknown’ kicks off with an intense riff before the vocals are introduced. The verses feel a lot more fast paced compared to the chorus, where the vocals pick up and everything comes together excellently. The song ends with yet more screaming, and with the harsh beat of the drums it’s a perfect way to bring the song to a close.  

Starting off with soft, angelic vocals is ‘La Valse du Temps’ - but don’t be fooled, it does pick up into one of the heavier songs on the album. It's evident that this is one that fans will love, being five minutes of metalcore bliss. ‘Deep Inferno’ amazed us. Listening to this song we could really see Florent's wide vocal range - this man can really scream. The low growls and emotional screams add a heap of energy into this song, making you want to scream along with him - and I’m sure a lot of us will be. 

While ‘Requiem’ starts with a softer guitar riff, the beat drops almost immediately, and the drumming in this song is something to appreciate, adding to the emotional intensity of the song. The album has had a lot of strong lyrics, but a line that stood out to us on this track in particular is "There is nowhere left to hide because it’s eating me alive". The meaning isn'r subtle here, and this is a feeling plenty of us will have dealt with before, making for one of the most vulnerable songs here. ‘Funeral’ is the last song, kicking off with a beautiful piano melody before Florent's raw vocals come in and truly tug on our heart strings. This song is one of a kind, and it's a bold yet personal move by LANDMVRKS, who have decided to close the album on such an emotional note with a song that talks about grief in a way that fans may relate to incredibly keenly. 

The Darkest Place I've Ever Been does an incredible job at summarising what LANDMVRKS can do as a band, whilst simultaneously blowing us away with every track on the album. They provide their listeners with the brutal metalcore they love, while also giving them something to relate to, albeit that is no surprise given the band's penchant for those vulnerable moments. In their darkest place, they've found a light in the form of this phenomenal album, and we're so glad they've shared it.

Score: 9/10

The Darkest Place I've Ever Been was released on April 25th 2025.

Words: Kelsey Mainwaring

Photos: LANDMVRKS