Metalcore in 2025 is a hyper-saturated genre in which creativity is very difficult to find amidst all the noise. Due to its formulaic nature, it's very easy to fall into the traps of collaging previously successful tracks, using easy (and sometimes even, dare I say, cheesy) vocal melodies, and following or even directly copying and pasting certain patterns that have been used before—over and over again.
One band that is "not" doing so, and as a result has stood out for years amongst the crowds, is LANDMVRKS. Formed in 2014 in Marseille, France by Florent Salfati and Nicolas Soriano, the band currently consists of vocalist Florent Salfati, guitarists Nicolas Exposito and Paul Cordebard, bassist Rudy Purkart, and drummer Kévin D’Agostino. Their self-produced debut album, Hollow, was released back in 2016. Soon after, they signed with Arising Empire, releasing their sophomore album, Fantasy, in 2018. The third album, Lost in the Waves, came out in 2021, and their fourth and upcoming album, The Darkest Place I've Ever Been, is due to release on April 25, 2025.
Thus far, 4 tracks have been released from the 2025 album: "Creature," "Sulfur" (my personal favorite so far), "Sombre 16," and last but not least, "A Line in the Dust," featuring Mat Welsh from While She Sleeps, which was released just a couple of hours ago from the time of writing this article. Each single has brought new life to the scene, and each song has established and carved the band's sound further and further into concrete.
"Creature" kicked off the new era of the band with French rap, classic LANDMVRKS verses, and a soaring chorus that has helped the band amass 6 million streams on Spotify in the one-year time span that the single has been out. The double-single "Sulfur/Sombre 16" came next about one month ago, and "Sulfur" absolutely swept me off my feet with ear-crushing drums and guitars that pierced through the heart itself, with a divine chorus that truly lifted my soul into the ether. The verses are so well-structured and impossible not to dance to. But let's not let my obsession with "Sulfur" take hold and distract from the band's latest shaker, "A Line in the Dust."
The track starts with an ambient, Linkin Park-esque intro but quickly develops into the LANDMVRKS signature sound: catchy verses alternating between vocal-led and guitar-led sections and an even catchier chorus that glues the two very well-written verses together. Mat Welsh delivers a strong performance on the second verse, and the song's bridge includes a not-so-standard breakdown with impressive vocals scattered throughout, then developing into an outro that at this point is impossible not to sing along to. The lyrics are simple and relatable, and it's a solid track overall.
It should be mentioned that the singles so far have all been following a storyline that is being developed with every song and music video released, following the frontman Florent Salfati being turned into a "Creature," battling his inner demons and mental turmoil as his bandmates try to save him in "Sulfur/Sombre 16," and finally, meeting a tragic end, being trapped in the same desert/other dimension from the second music video in "A Line in the Dust;" the girl from the first music video not succeeding in saving him. Or at least that's what seems to be the case for now.
Every single track released so far has definitely hyped the upcoming album immensely, and we cannot wait to hear and absorb the full force of The Darkest Place I've Ever Been on April 25th.
Watch the music video for "A Line in the Dust" on YouTube!
Listen to the released singles on Spotify!
Pre-save The Darkest Place I've Ever Been on Spotify!
Keep up with LANDMVRKS on Instagram
