REVIEW: Paleface Swiss – Cursed [2025]
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Artist: Paleface Swiss
Album: Cursed
Paleface Swiss aren’t a band I’d exactly consider to be cursed in the conventional sense. Following hot off the heels of their immense and critically acclaimed record Fear and Dagger, the band became an international sensation in the metal underground. The band has, since, become as close to a household name as any mosh-friendly, slam-tinted deathcore band can be. With that said, the curse Paleface Swiss (further stylized as Paleface) refer to isn’t one of their resounding success—but rather a curse that burdens the soul and smothers the psyche. In that respect, Cursed is named beautifully. Bone-bending in its weighty aggression and smothering in its ruthlessness, the long-awaited 2025 follow-up to Fear and Dagger is an immense, well-rounded testament to the multifaceted and multi-talented monster that is Paleface.
Cursed is quite a bit shorter than the Goliath that was its predecessor—and while this means we get a little less Paleface to go around, the Paleface the listener gets is infinitely more refined and focused. After wading through the haunting, tedious introductory track, the listener is smacked in the face with “Hatred,” followed by “And With Hope You’ll Be Damned,” two gutbusting numbers that see Paleface’s percussion steamrolling the listener while furiously fretted riffs and grisly grooves dance upon their flattened, lifeless husks. “And With Hope You’ll Be Damned” is a strong example of the band’s undying devotion to eviscerating heaviness—as it alone dispels the concerns that the band may have gone soft. Here, scathing guitars steal the show, serving as a frenzied canvas for the fervor and fury provided by frontman Marc Zelli. Meanwhile, as Cursed continues, the band’s collective murderous intent slackens, replaced by something more melancholic—but just as mesmerizing. Sprawling closing cut “River of Sorrows” embraces an overwhelmingly metallic atmosphere, focusing on soaring guitars with more downplayed percussion and a blend of singing and pitched screaming from Zelli, highlighting the variety and diversity Paleface are collectively capable of crafting.
If its concerns of softening up that had you worried, don’t worry—Paleface are prepared for that in spades. “Enough” is a song almost entirely directed that sentiment. Combining an industrial-tinted hip-hop element heard sprinkled throughout Fear and Dagger, “Enough” is one stand-out track—not only for its message and unique stylings, but for the immense pivot it pulls into becoming one of the heavier moments on a pretty damn heavy album. “My Blood On Your Hands” is another short—but very sweet—cut that pummels the listener into a step above nothingness. Paleface pull out all the stops to given the listener the textbook definition of traumatic brain injury in 100 seconds or less, and they succeed without falter. The dialectic between tracks like “My Blood on Your Hands” and “Enough” or “River of Sorrows” is stunning, and sees Paleface hone the dynamism they hinted at so excellently on their previous release.
Cursed is shorter than its predecessor, but equally as intense—an “all killer, no filler” approach to the unique take on heaviness that Paleface so proudly boast. With some of the most immense and immolating moments of their career juxtaposed against some of their most melancholic and emotional, Cursed is a must-listen record that sees the band pushing the envelope of not only conventional heavy music, but of their public perception and message.
9/10
For Fans Of: Bodysnatcher, VCTMS, Nasty
By: Connor Welsh
