This is the third album from US death metal band Aseitas.
2020’s False Peace was a mammoth album, brimming with ideas, boasting 11 tracks, and lasting 72 minutes. On Eden Trough Aseitas trim down to a more manageable 5 tracks and a much-shorter 30 minutes, leading me to wonder if their experimental death metal is still as multifaceted and layered as it was previously?
The answer is yes, yes it is. Eden Trough is a powerhouse of progressive death metal, technical heaviness, dissonant malevolence, and avant-garde expressiveness.
Aseitas haven’t just repeated past glories though, as Eden Trough is the next evolution of their sound. Focusing their many talents into a condensed ball of fury and abrasion, this is an extreme metal exemplar of how to craft music that’s simultaneously engaging and impenetrable. It’s not for the uninitiated that’s for sure, yet due to the quality of the songwriting and performances its elevated above what many ostensibly similar acts are capable of, lending the music an accessible side of sorts, despite its harsh nature.
Blending chaos with form, Aseitas take the listener on a journey through sound and texture. From creative brutality to nuanced darkness to progressive worldbuilding to atmospheric immersion, Eden Trough covers a lot of ground within its brief running time. It roughly places its two most brutal tracks first, and then after a haunting interlude, its two most expansive tracks last – although all of the songs have their various standout moments and are strictly not of a one-dimensional nature.
Oh my, this is good. Damn good.
I suppose you could loosely call this a mix of bands such as Artificial Brain, Gorguts, Imperial Triumphant, Nightmarer, Meshuggah, and Aeviterne, but that’s only a very loose description of Aseitas. They exist in their own right, and Eden Trough is a wild success.
Essential listening for any fan of adventurous death metal.
Wonderbox Metal 