Avulsed – Phoenix Cryptobiosis (Review)

Avulsed are a Spanish death metal band and this is their seventh album, (or eighth, if you include Deathgenerations).

It’s been sooooooo long since the last Avulsed album. 2013, in fact – Ritual Zombi. The band haven’t been totally dormant though, as 2015 brought us the EP Altar of Disembowelment, and then over the following two years we were subjected to a whole a feast of gore in Deathgenerations and Night of the Living Deathgenerations. Arising from personal tragedy, 2023 then teased us with the two-track  Extraterrestrial Carnage, which whet the appetite for more quite considerably. And more, we now have.

Back with a new lineup, Avulsed’s latest album finds them doing what they do best – brutal and catchy death metal. Phoenix Cryptobiosis contains 44 minutes of new material, and it’s absolutely killer.

In my humble opinion Avulsed are one of the best bands to ever stalk the death metal killing arenas. Over their career they have produced so many amazing songs and albums it’s just silly. How they aren’t bigger and more well-known is a mystery known only to the underground death metal gods, who are clearly guarding them jealously, lest they break out into the wider world and cause untold carnage.

Phoenix Cryptobiosis is the sound of classic Avulsed firing on all cylinders. As much as I liked Ritual Zombi, over time it revealed itself to be one of the weaker releases in the band’s discography, but on this new album Avulsed sound revitalised and devastating. There’s an atavistic death metal power here that’s lacking in many modern bands; more than anything Avulsed know how to pen a good tune, and Phoenix Cryptobiosis is packed with them.

This is timeless death metal with all of the signature strengths of the old-school style – a marriage of gruesome brutality and heaviness to macabre melodies and atmosphere. Avulsed excel at catchy songwriting – be this via riffs, melodies, vocals, or an unholy synergy of all three – and Phoenix Cryptobiosis is awash with memorability and impact.

All of the aspects of the music exist purely to service the overall nature of the songs. It is this holistic vision and attention to songcraft that allows Avulsed to be as effective as they are. There are standout moments across the album for brutality, melody, mood-building, solos, riffs, etc., but the real magic happens in the way that they all come together to produce songs that make you want to stomp and smash things.

I can’t express how great it is to not only have a new Avulsed album, but also one that’s so damn good. I really, really hope that Phoenix Cryptobiosis helps get the band the wider recognition that they richly deserve, as this is such a strong and enjoyable record. Regardless, it’s a gift for those that do encounter it. If you’re a fan of song-focused classic death metal, then this is an essential listen. Don’t miss out.