This is the second album from Canadian death metal band Atræ Bilis.
Following on from 2021’s Apexapien, Atræ Bilis have now returned with 40 minutes of new material. As enjoyable as that record was, Aumicide is something else.
On Aumicide Atræ Bilis continue down the path of bringing together different death metal styles into a compelling whole. Elements of the dissonant, technical, progressive, brutal, and blackened subgenres can all be heard, and across this new album Atræ Bilis have pushed themselves harder and further than they have done previously.
The songwriting is strong, delivering the fierce heaviness that you’d want from death metal, and more besides this. The brutal technicality of the album underpins much of the material here, giving the band a base to work from that’s strong, yet flexible enough to cater to their expansive death metal vision. The music is enriched by the use of dissonance and atmosphere, both woven into the fabric of the songs, to great effect. Aumicide is punching above its weight.
Atræ Bilis have only got more skilled when it comes to crafting inventive riffs, and the structure and dynamics of the songs is vibrant and engaging. There are more hooks here too than you might expect from such extremity, and a greater degree of variety too. Finally, I’ll note that the vocals sound more ferocious than ever, but also more varied and emotive. A few different styles are wrapped around the core deep growls.
Aumicide is the sound of Atræ Bilis taken to the next level. I was hoping for another good record from Atræ Bilis, but wasn’t expecting something as enjoyable as this.
Wonderbox Metal 