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| #FOR FANS OF: Technical Death Metal, Alterbeast, Psycroptic, Decrepit Birth |
The current state of Technical Death Metal has exploded with numerous acts cropping up from around the globe, and these New Jersey newcomers maybe one of the hottest to come along in a while. The potential is shown right off-the-bat as it unleashes a serious swarm of highly-complex and technically engaging riff-work that gets a slew of tight workouts in here that range from fiery, up-tempo Thrash-paced riffing filled with fluid pattern changes at rapid speeds to whirlwind razor-wire wankery that displays untold technical prowess, though the majority of the work is based off dense, heavy breakdowns loaded with brutal chugging in their riff-work, which is what makes this so effective. Each of these particular elements, though utilized by numerous other acts in this genre so this is nothing new or innovative but definitely the variety of what’s on display works so well here since it never stays locked in one formulaic approach for too long before segueing into another dynamic series of riffs full of savage, unrelenting energy and blistering technicality which is certainly impressive enough considering the fact that the tracks are quite short, mostly set in the three-minute range so there’s not a lot of room to work. The energy is delivered through a rather appealing ability to have nearly every song played at the fastest possible tempo it can muster, which is quite often with a few occasional slower sections thrown in which is either a breakdown segment or a light, atmospheric interlude to pick up some melodies within the more blistering segments surrounding them. Combine all these facets with loud, dynamic drumming that manages to hold the technicality as well as the power and speed associated with such genres, more of a heavy, thumping quality to the bass-work rather than the spindly, noodle-like work this style usually plays with and an incredibly powerful production job that keeps the music lines distinguishable yet powerful, clear and commanding which is perfectly in accordance with this type of music and there’s a lot to really like here. The tracks themselves are quite good, as intro ‘Cut the Fuck Up’ gives a great impression of what to expect here with blasting drumming, tight chugging and a series of complex riff-patterns and utterly raging tempos from those technical riffs. Both of the following tracks, ‘The Aftermath’ and ‘Blood Hungry’ rely more on heavy breakdowns in those riffs rather than the technical workouts apparent elsewhere, even though there’s the occasional spindly-based pattern thrown in. ‘World’s Beneath’ returns to quite effective complex riff-work and some more melodic interludes, while ‘Regurgitated Existence’ might be the one showcase track to get exposed to their signature style as this again features the breakdown-centered riffing with ruthless blasting, spindly noodling and a more pronounced effort to switch up the tempos quite well. The first instrumental, ‘Oceanic Erosion’ is a light breather with an acoustic guitar and sampled noises, while ‘Willingness of the Weak’ manages to get those technically-complex leads working alongside the faster tempos. ‘Imbuing of Wrath’ again manages to mix dynamic technical compositions and tight breakdowns together into a stand-out full-throttle effort while ‘Fire from the Sky’ wraps around a slew of ferocious, technical riff-patterns full of intensity and energy throughout while still keeping the melodies intact. The final track, the other instrumental ‘Affliction Humanity,’ has a far better soundscape about it just like the remaining songs with the technically-proficient riffs and blasting drumming sound rather nice before the sampled voices appear and down-grade it somewhat. On the whole, this isn’t really breaking any new ground in the genre and does seem a little weaker on the back-end with the two light instrumentals against the raging music, but it’s still fun enough to be worthwhile. (Don Anelli)
(Pathologically Explicit Recordings - 2014)
Score: 85