Degen

Degen shows Dacara stepping into a darker, more dangerous space, and it suits them almost too well. There’s this immediate sense of unease as the track opens, like you’re standing on the edge of something about to detonate. And when it finally does, the whole thing hits with a force that feels both controlled and completely unrestrained at the same time.

What really stands out is how tight and intentional everything feels. The guitars don’t just chug away for heaviness, they’ve got this sharp, serrated tone that slices through the mix, driving the song like they’re dragging it forward by the collar. There’s weight behind every riff, but there’s also a sense of character, like the band are really leaning into their own identity rather than trying to mimic anyone else’s modern metal formula. It’s aggressive, but it’s not empty aggression.

The rhythm section deserves credit too, because the drums hit in that sweet spot where they feel massive without overwhelming everything else. There’s this punch to the kick and a snap to the snare that gives the whole track its heartbeat. You can tell the production was handled with a lot of care polished, sure, but never so slick that it loses its edge. You still get all the grit, all the air moving between the notes, all the human imperfections that make a heavy track actually feel heavy.

Vocally, Degen lands somewhere between pure venom and controlled expression. The harsher delivery feels urgent and emotional, not just loud for the sake of volume. There’s texture in the voice, frustration, pushback, maybe even a bit of spiralling tension and when the cleaner touches slide in, they don’t soften anything. If anything, they give the track a deeper emotional pull, letting certain lines cut harder than they would if everything stayed at full intensity.

The thing Dacara do really well here is the pacing. The track doesn’t sit still for long, it keeps shifting, tightening, and erupting in all the right places. When the heavier drops land, it’s not predictable, it’s satisfying, like the song is releasing all the pressure it’s been building underneath the surface. Nothing feels stitched together or forced. It moves with purpose, and by the time it hits its later moments, it feels like everything has escalated into something bigger and more cathartic.

By the end, you’re left with that lingering adrenaline buzz, not just because the track is heavy, but because it feels alive. Degen sounds like Dacara really leaning into who they want to be darker, more intense, more emotionally charged, and far more confident in their own skin. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t just make noise, it leaves an impression.

In short, Degen is Dacara at their most dialled in, raw, atmospheric, and heavy in all the right ways, with enough personality and depth to make it genuinely memorable.