Damnum (album)

On April 14, 2021, Allegaeon announced that former Aversed drummer Jeff Saltzman would be joining the band to replace Brandon Park, who had departed in 2020. Guitarist Greg Burgess noted the upcoming album would be the first record on which the drummer had written all their parts, where in the past the guitarists had programmed a beat and had their drummer write-out the fills. On October 27, 2021, Metal Blade Records announced Allegaeon's forthcoming sixth studio album Damnum would be released on February 25, 2022. The band also announced that the record would be produced by Dave Otero at Colorado's Flatline Audio Studio. Damnum would ultimately prove to the be last album featuring vocalist of seven years Riley McShane, who announced his departure from the band in August 2022. The album's artwork was provided by Travis Smith.{{cite web|url=https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2022/03/03/a-gift-to-artwork-march-2022/ |title=A GIFT TO ARTWORK // MARCH 2022 ==Musical styles and themes==

Lyrically, Damnum is substantially darker than Allegaeon's earlier works, and focuses on personal topics and loss, abandoning the scientific focus of earlier releases. One reviewer noted the title is Latin word meaning "a loss or hurt, harm, or damage." and that those themes are persistent throughout the record. Vocalist Riley McShane noted that there "was a lot of anger and sadness present when writing the album. Not with each other, but just as a by-product of the shape of things in the world around us, as well as some hard-hitting losses in our individual lives." ==Reception==

The album was well received by critics, with Loudwire naming it one of the 50 best rock and metal albums of the year. Blabbermouth.net also reviewed the album positively, stating "ALLEGAEON have always been a bit special, and this is their most fantastic and fearless voyage to date." Commercially, the album sold 1,675 units in its first week, debuting at No. 52 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Sales chart. ==Track listing==

;Allegaeon • Riley McShane – lead vocals • Greg Burgess – guitars, classical guitar • Michael Stancel – guitars • Brandon Michael – bass • Jeff Saltzman – drums Credits • Travis Smith – Artwork, Layout • Dave Otero – Mastering, Production, Engineering, Mixing • Tommy Bonnevialle – Piano (tracks: 7, 8) • Joe Ferris – Synth, Samples, Orchestra ==References==