Cursed (Paleface Swiss album)
| Cursed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Original edition cover[note 1] | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 January 2025 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:01 | |||
| Label | Blood Blast Distribution | |||
| Paleface Swiss chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Cursed | ||||
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Cursed is the third studio album by Swiss beatdown hardcore band Paleface Swiss, released on 3 January 2025 through Blood Blast Distribution.[1] It is the band's first album to feature drummer Cassiano Toma, and the band's first album to be released under the name "Paleface Swiss" as the band had to rename due to there being another artist under the name of "Paleface".[2]
Background and promotion
The first single, titled "Hatred", was released on 26 September 2024 along with the album announcement.[3] It was then followed by two more singles, "My Blood On Your Hands", and "Love Burns", which were released on 7 November 2024 and 4 December 2024, respectively.[4][5] A music video for the song "River Of Sorrows" was released on 3 January 2025 coinciding with the album release.[6] Later, in the new edition of the album, Cursed (The Complete Edition), released on 4 June 2025, the singles "I Am A Cursed One", "Best Before: Death", "Please End Me", "The Gallow" and "River Of Sorrows (Unplugged)" were included in the discography. The album was named as one of the most anticipated metal albums of 2025 by Loudwire.[7]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Kerrang! | 3/5[8] |
| Metal Injection | 6.5[9] |
Paleface Swiss's third studio album Cursed drew a mixed critical reception: Kerrang! characterized the record as an often-uneven throwback that pairs "unhinged brutality" with nu-metal revivalism and awarded it a 3/5;[8] while Metal Injection gave the album a 6.5 and framed it as a record that showcases the band's strengths even as it suffers from lapses in cohesion.[9]
Both reviewers note a deliberate juxtaposition of modern deathcore elements and early-2000s nu-metal references across the tracklist. The album opens with the atmospheric intro "un pobre niño murió," which Metal Injection singled out for its unsettling ambience, and follows with heavier compositions such as "Hatred" that emphasize blast beats and aggressive vocal delivery. Kerrang! highlighted explicit stylistic callbacks to acts like Slipknot and Korn and called out tracks that adopt rap-metal or simpler nu-metal tropes (for example "Enough" and "Don't You Ever Stop") as weakening the record's first half, while both sources identified "Love Burns" and later passages such as "River of Sorrows" as moments where the band's broader ambitions coalesce.[8][9]
On balance, the reviews converge on a view of Cursed as a record of contrasts: strengths credited include the band's heavy dynamics, moments of effective atmosphere, and the lead vocalist's expanded range, whereas primary criticisms concern inconsistent songwriting, uneven genre shifts, and occasionally thin lyrical or structural choices. Kerrang! framed the album's ultimate impact on Paleface Swiss's trajectory as contingent on listener tolerance for its stylistic volatility;[8] and Metal Injection described the release as a creative misstep that nevertheless contains instances of compelling material.[9]
The reviews did not cover singles such as "Please End Me" and "The Gallow" because they were not in the discography of the original edition, being added only in The Complete Edition.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Paleface Swiss.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "un pobre niño murió" | 1:44 |
| 2. | "Hatred" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "...and with hope you'll be damned" | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Don't You Ever Stop" | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Enough?" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Youth Decay" | 3:34 |
| 7. | "My Blood On Your Hands" | 1:40 |
| 8. | "Love Burns" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "River Of Sorrows" | 4:02 |
| Total length: | 28:33 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "I Am A Cursed One" | 3:21 |
| 11. | "Best Before: Death" | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Please End Me" | 3:11 |
| 13. | "The Gallow" | 4:58 |
| 14. | "River Of Sorrows (Unplugged)" | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 48:01 | |
Personnel
Paleface Swiss
- Marc "Zelli" Zellweger – vocals
- Yannick Lehmann – guitar
- Tommy Lee – bass
- Cassiano "Cassi" Toma – drums
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 50 |
Notes
- ^ On The Complete Edition, the cover art uses a flowery background.
References
- ^ "Paleface Swiss Unleash Relentless Brutality and Haunting Beauty on Cursed—A Modern Deathcore Triumph". Antihero magazine. 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Paleface Add 'Swiss' to Their Name & Debut Ripper New Track 'Best Before: Death'". Wall of sound. 1 March 2023.
- ^ Carter, Emily (26 September 2024). "Paleface Swiss announce new album Cursed, drop lead single Hatred". Kerrang!.
- ^ "Paleface Swiss unleash new single, My Blood On Your Hands". Kerrang!. 7 November 2024.
- ^ "News: Paleface Swiss Drop Video and Single for 'Love Burns'". New Noise magazine. 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Paleface Swiss premiere "River Of Sorrows" music video". Lambgoat. 2 January 2025.
- ^ "The Most Anticipated Rock + Metal Albums of 2025". Loudwire. 17 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Album review: Paleface Swiss – Cursed". 7 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Album Review: PALEFACE SWISS Cursed". Metal Injection. 3 January 2025.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Paleface Swiss – Cursed" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2025.