Progressive Death Metal – Page 24

Estuarine – Lucid/Entheogen (Review)

Estuarine is a one-man band that’s currently based in Sweden. This is the second album from his project.

This is Extreme Metal that’s rooted in differing elements of Death Metal with a pinch of Black Metal to produce a concept album that deals in the subject of psychoactive substances. The first 6 tracks are regarding their modern use, while the last 4 tracks deal with their traditional usage.

The music is a mix of Progressive and Technical Death Metal with a subtle modern Black Metal influence. If you think of Extreme Metal bands such as Zyklon, Between the Buried and Me, (minus clean singing), and Mithras then you’ll have an idea of the kind of landscape that Lucid/Entheogen inhabits.

On the first half of the album the songs have a delightfully brutal method of attack that sees the Technical Death Metal aspect take the lead, with the Progressive Death Metal aspect coming second. Slower/lighter introspective parts, occasionally bordering on Post-Metal territory, add flavour and depth to the music, although the extremity is never far behind.

On the second half the roles are reversed somewhat, with the Progressive Metal aspects shifting to the fore and the Technical mayhem relegated to a close second place. It’s a subtle shift in many ways, but it is noticeable and results in songs that are longer, more expansive and a bit less brutal, (although this is relative as everything here is still highly aggressive and technical overall).

The vocals alternate between growls and screams. The growls are convincing enough, but it’s the screams that sound particularly good to me.

The recording is a good one and everything sounds solid and in your face. Sometimes the production on one-man projects can sound a bit flat or one dimensional, but this is certainly not the case here.

Although by no means perfect, this is still better than most. Ambitious, forward-thinking and brutally proficient; Lucid/Entheogen is an impressive accomplishment and anyone who has a penchant for interesting and individualistic Extreme Metal should make a beeline for it as a priority.

Really, really enjoyable and extremely highly recommended.

Favourite Track: Towards Infinite Kaleidoscopic Dimensions.

Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction (Review)

This is the eighth album from veteran US Death metal band Cattle Decapitation.

Based on the concept of humanity dying out due to its own actions, Cattle Decapitation return once more to show that Death Metal can be savage and intelligent at the same time.

Cattle Decapitation’s take on Death Metal is an ever-developing one that seems to only improve over time. Pretty much a Progressive Death Metal band at this point, they still have a core of Brutal Death Metal with a touch of Grindcore, but this has been expanded upon and augmented by Progressive and melodic components, all without sacrificing the essential extremity of the band.

The vocals are impressively delivered and the singer proves he has a versatile and vicious palette of vocalisations to work from, be that grunting nastiness, utter pignoise, hateful screams or strange, mutant, melodic semi-cleans that sound like a strangled Devin Townsend. This latter statement may not sound very complimentary but it is; they’re very emotive in an inhuman way.

The music ranges from the ultra-brutal, to the meaningfully melodic, to the Progressively expansive, to the dynamically riff-heavy, to the atmospherically apocalyptic. It’s a multifaceted and interesting sound that manages to surprisingly accomplish two very important and hard-to-do-tasks – the first is that it manages to remain extreme, regardless of all of these other additions and excursions; the second is that it manges to do this while having an emotional depth that is simply lacking in a lot of bands, never mind Death Metal ones. These are songs that can actually cause an emotional response from the listener, as well as simply being great to bang your head and stamp along to.

This is 46 minutes of quality Death Metal that’s not afraid to do its own thing. Cattle Decapitation are one of those rare bands that really do just get better with age.

An essential listen.

Sanzu – Painless (Review)

Sanzu are an Australian Death Metal band and this is their début EP.

This is Progressive Death Metal with a modern slant – kind of like a more extreme Gojira; Gojira mixed with Morbid Angel would be a good starting descriptor.

The grooves and heavy rhythms are immediate and effective, but there is more than meets the eye here and subsequent spins reveal deeper layers to the songs.

The meaty guitars pummel and destroy and the production on this release is absolutely immense. With this recording they could be playing anything and they’d still demolish buildings. As it is, combined with these huge, monstrous riffs they seem to peel off with wild abandon, Sanzu sound unstoppable.

They have the songs to back this up though, otherwise it would be all sonic carnage but no longevity. Gojira have such a distinctive sound that it’s easy for any band that even comes close to their style to sound like a rip off; although Sanzu are clearly influenced by Gojira they avoid sounding too much like them due to the more aggressive delivery and the other Death Metal influences in Sanzu’s sound.

Well. Listening to this for the first time on a Sunday morning I can faithfully report that it blew all of the early-morning cobwebs away and left me feeling energised. This is an EP that bears repeated listens though, as the first time around it’s all too easy to get fixated on the colossal guitars and miss a lot of the other stuff that’s going on.

If this is just their début EP, what’s next for Sanzu? For their first album I hope for the same huge sound and a further development of their Progressive Metal side, while still keeping the Death Metal brutality. If they can pull this off then we may just have a modern masterpiece on our hands.

Until then we have Painless. It is enough. For now.

A must listen.

Deviance – A New Planetary Perspective (Review)

This is the début album from US one-man Death Metal project Deviance.

This is Technical/Progressive Death Metal that’s not shy of flexing its musical muscles and showing off what it can do.

Frequent leads and solos are built around a sturdy rhythm section and scathing vocals. The songs tread that fine line between ostentation and brutality without sacrificing too much of one for the other.

Decent grooves and riffs work with the overt technicality. Winding melodics make brief appearances and the songs seem to pulsate and mutate with careful yet unexpected life.

The tracks are intricate beasts that sometimes keep a central theme to them so that a song is still identifiable amidst the complex barbarity; other times though they allow themselves to journey where they see fit, snaking and sliding their way through involved guitar sections and convoluted drumming. Either way, it’s an enjoyable listen.

This album has an interesting feel to it. The music is less-song oriented than Progressive Death Metal can sometimes be and instead veers towards outright Technical Death Metal territory where the songs are a lot more frequently sacrificed for the sake of complexity. Having said that though, this is notable in that it’s not overly-frenzied or chaotic as a lot of Technical Death Metal can be. This is a more restrained and thoughtful complexity; the brain behind Deviance knows exactly where he wants to take the music and the journey is what matters, rather than the structure itself.

Cello, violin and keyboards all make appearances, widening the musical vistas available to the listener. It all adds value and makes a good impression.

The vocals sound like scraping sheets of steel grinding against each other. That’s the deep growls. The higher screams just sound like reality is tearing.

This is a quality album of Technical Death Metal that’s notable for its lack of chaotic frenzy and for its more restrained approach to complexity and nuance. Throw in a bit of atmospheric enhancement and the end result is a most enjoyable 50 minutes.

Highly recommended.

Chaos Plague – Existence Through Annihilation (Review)

Chaos Plague are from Italy and this is their début album. They play Progressive Death Metal.

I enjoyed their first EP, and two of the three songs on this appear on the album too.

The vocals are mainly growling shouts that are halfway between legible and guttural. Added to these are clean vocals that have improved since their first outing on their EP.

The music is Progressive Death Metal that is influenced by the likes of Death, Atheist, Cynic and the like.

There are enough solos and technical flourishes to keep the listener happy and these songs all pack a good deal of content into their running time. At 60 minutes in length this is not for the faint-hearted, but there’s enough variation and good songwriting to keep things flowing nicely.

A good production makes the most of what they can do and I especially like music that you can hear the bass on; Chaos Plague make good use of this often neglected instrument and Existence Through Annihilation is enriched by its prominence.

There’s a lot to take in here but perseverance pays off and Chaos Plague have a lot of talent for this kind of thing.

A quality listen.

Wrvth – Wrvth (Review)

Wrvth, (otherwise known as Wrath of Vesuvius), are from the US and play Death Metal. This is their third album.

Well this is a little different. Progressive/Technical Death Metal is always a pleasure to hear when it’s done well and Wrvth pull all of the right moves on this release.

Although it has its fair share of fretboard wizardry and crazy, complicated playing, there’s a lot more here than is the norm for Technical Death Metal. This release also features a melodic edge and a good groove when it wants to. Add to this a keen Progressive edge that borders on the Post-Metal, (Post-Death Metal?), in places and this album is a stormer. Oh, a saxophone also makes an appearance too.

Mixed in with the chaos and carnage are some introspective moments of calm that largely seem to be there just to make everything else sound heavier and crazier. It works, of course, and the songs on this release are a complicated melange of Progressive restraint and chaotic mayhem.

The musicianship is first-rate and these songs expertly combine Progressive elements into a Technical Death Metal framework that allows the band to steal the best from both worlds. Technicality is apparent but the Progressive elements keep the songs focused and allow for emotive passages rather than just a procession of impressive riffs and time changes.

It’s like a strange cross between Protest the Hero, Pyrrhon, Gorguts and The Faceless. The reality is that Wrvth sound every bit as good as that mash up sounds. The only thing missing is the clean vocals.

Speaking of vocals, the singer does his best impression of someone attempting to destroy their throat. He screams himself almost hoarse and when that’s been accomplished he switches to hostile growls and roars.

This is an innovative and impressive release from a band who are clearly not content to be average. I love releases like this. Here we find a winning combination of aggression, restraint, feeling, depth, chaos and outright passion.

Wrvth have just become one of my new favourite bands.

Barús – Barús (Review)

Barús are a Progressive Death Metal band from France and this is their début EP.

The music that Barús play is complex and unforgiving. This is not music for the weak.

The band’s take on Death Metal is one that combines the Technical and Progressive Death Metal sub-genres into something pretty special. There are even some hints at Post-Metal and Black Metal here and there.

The songs evoke complex reinterpretations of bands such as Gorguts, Morbid Angel, Mithras, Nile, Akercocke, etc. – bands that are not content to be constrained by the norm and reach for greater and higher. Barús now join their hallowed ranks.

The dense guitar riffs seem to layer on top of themselves and Barús’ music seems to have levels upon levels of extremity to hide itself in. For all of this though they are also aware that sometimes simpler is better, but even here there’s usually a lot going on.

Sometimes twisted melodies appear to float up out of the chaos to bring an otherworldly element to their already esoteric sound. A great deal of variation exists across these 4 tracks and each song is both self-contained and part of a greater whole.

The vocals are predominantly deep grunts but a whole load of other vocalisations are used too, from semi-clean moans to spoken word to chants and everything in between, including, briefly, actual singing.

I love it when you find a band like Barús who are willing and able to take the standard Death Metal template and experiment with it until it’s mutated into their own personal view of the genre. This EP has a personality and style of its own and these songs are involving and engaging from start.

An extremely promising beginning for Barús. This EP is a strong start to their existence and if they manage to keep up the quality levels then their début album will be fantastic. Here’s hoping.

Irreversible Mechanism – Infinite Fields (Review)

Hailing from Belarus, Irreversible Mechanism play Progressive/Technical Death Metal and this is their début album.

Here we have some super-sexy Technical Death Metal with equal parts Progressive and Modern Death Metal as well as elements of Melodic/Symphonic Death/Black Metal. If that sounds quite intimidating then don’t let it be; Irreversible Mechanism have the talent to bring it all together and make it work.

The band have a lot of technical ability and there’s no shortage of fretboard wizardry on display here.

Lots of solos and leads as well as time signature changes are included and although they are the norm for Technical Death Metal, here the Progressive elements of the band and their songwriting skills stop things from becoming overbearing in this regard.

Irreversible Mechanism may be ambitious with their songs, as well they should be, but they always remember that the needs of the song come first and it’s not just enough to string riffs together. Dynamics, pacing, energy and composition are all important and these songs are surprisingly memorable.

Heavy use is made of synthesizers to add extra layers of feelings to the tracks. Do you know what? It works. These sounds add to the overall atmosphere of the album and adds a strong melodic edge to the band’s assault.

Vocally the singer shifts between traditional growling and higher screams. The screams in particular are notable as, combined with the hyperspeed music and symphonic elements, they lend the music a Blackened edge on occasion.

Infinite Fields is a very impressive release. Kind of like a Technical Death Metal version of Dimmu Borgir; the grandeur and the violence.

Definitely be sure to check this out, you won’t be disappointed.

Dawn of Azazel – The Tides of Damocles (Review)

Dawn of Azazel are from New Zealand and play Death Metal. This is their fourth album.

Dawn of Azazel play Progressive Death Metal with enough brutality to keep people happy.

They have a very satisfying production with the guitars sounding heavily distorted and full of fuzz. Combined with the blasting drums and vocals it’s a good solid sound.

The vocalist has a the kind of shouted growl that’s forceful and savage. His voice tears out of the music with fury.

Their music is a wonderful combination of the Progressive, Modern and Brutal Death Metal subgenres, so much so that there’s a lot on offer on The Tides of Damocles.

A multitude of inventive riffs and interesting ideas are tried and tested throughout these 10 songs. It’s an impressive melting pot that the band create and they forge it into a cohesive attack over the course of just over 48 minutes.

The guitars are a highlight for me as they lead the assault and you never quite know what they’re going to do next. That’s not to imply that they’re a hyper-chaotic Techdeath mess, far from it; it’s just that Dawn of Azazel pour so many different riffing styles into the mix that you might be listening to a Morbid Angel section at one point only to have it change into something Meshuggah-inspired, or maybe a riff Immolation would be proud of.

Ultimately though it all flows together quite naturally and The Tides of Damocles is a very striking record.

Yes, I look forward to listening to this more and more over the years and getting to know it really, really well. This one’s a keeper.

Profanity – Hatred Hell Within (Review)

Profanity are from Germany and play Brutal/Technical Death Metal. This is their latest EP.

The band have a strong presence and their Death Metal is tight and precise.

Profanity have a sound that combines the Brutal, the Technical and the Progressive all in three songs, 20 minutes. As they’ve been around since 1993 they clearly know the sound they want and are experienced enough to achieve it, (even if this is the band’s first release in over a decade).

They manage to combine these aforementioned sub-genres in such a way that the end result borrows from both the New School and a more timeless brand of Death Metal.

The songs are intelligently composed and the extended, (for the style), running time of the songs, (or two of them at least), allows the band the space to really work themselves into a Technical/Progressive frenzy.

The vocalist is blessed with a deep, growling roar and he sounds utterly inhuman.

The production is strong and the band can all really play. I also love the bass; I love a band who actually use the bass as an integral part of their sound and here it has a chance to shine like the rest of the instruments. There’s even a bit of a bass solo!

Let me calm myself down a bit before I continue. The excitement is too much.

However, exciting is a good word for Profanity. Not in a high energy way, (although they have plenty of that), but just from the sheer rush of speed, brutality and technical mayhem that the band so easily and effortlessly dish out.

I must confess I’d never encountered Profanity before this. If Hatred Hell Within is anything to go by it’s definitely my loss as this EP is a sterling release by this band. It promises extremely good things for the future and here’s to their next album!