Technical Death Metal

Noctambulist – Atmospheres of Desolation Review

By Kronos on January 18, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Blood Harvest Records, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 49 comments

“No, Noctambulist do not sound like Blood Incantation, Sulphur Aeon, Immolation, or Gorguts. Or at least, they don’t sound more like Immolation or Gorguts than Ulcerate do. How the press kit missed Noctambulist’s most prominent and obvious influence—not to mention one of a much higher profile than either of the more modern bands mentioned—might never be known. Did Ulcerate become uncool? I doubt it on the grounds that (1) Noctambulist like them enough to try to sound almost exactly like them, and more importantly, (2) that I, as the sole arbiter of brutality both here and in the universe at large, am the only force with the power to decide if and when Ulcerate could ever become uncool.” Kronos knows.

The EP, Demo, and Oddity Post [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By El Cuervo on January 2, 2019 in 2018, American Metal, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Dutch Metal, Hardcore, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Speed Metal, Swedish Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Ukrainian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Electronic Metal, Hardcore, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Rock, Speed Metal, Technical Death Metal, 146 comments

“As a younger man I had no concept of the “EP,” nor the “demo,” nor the “split.” When was the last time Iron Maiden had to curb their excesses by squashing ideas into half an hour? When were Judas Priest not able to afford a professional recording studio and production job? And when’s that Metallica/Megadeth split due again? Such formats are reserved for the underdogs of the metal world, those bubbling beneath the surface of popularity who write music for the sheer creative expression and who will never see monetary reward for their time and effort.” Short is sweet.

The Ridiculous Year o’ Death Metal Round-up, Part 2 [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Ferrous Beuller on December 28, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Austrian Metal, British Metal, Canadian Metal, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Italian Metal, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Symphonic Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, 128 comments

“2018 has been undeniably kind to death metal. So kind that it became impossible to pay the necessary attention to every release worthy of note. So, possessed of tyrannical temperament and iron resolve, Kronos and I have enlisted the help of the staff to cover those bands that went so unjustly overlooked.” – Even MORE death metal we missed!? Wow, we’re bad at this job.

The Ridiculous Year o’ Death Metal Round-up, Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Kronos on December 27, 2018 in 2019, American Metal, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Slam, Swedish Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 131 comments

“A lot of good death metal came out this year. In the last six months, it has become an outright deluge, and Ferrous Beuller and I have doggy-paddled through it, coughing and sputtering and generally being overwhelmed. But even if great albums were few, enough good albums came out—and got passed over—that we’re in dire need of a recap. In fact the need is so dire that we can’t hope to cover it all ourselves.”

Enblood – Cast to Exile [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Mark Z. on December 18, 2018 in 2018, Melodic Death Metal, Miasma Records, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 47 comments

“I’ve always thought that tech death and melodeath are more similar than most people realize. Both mainly use riffs comprised of individual notes played in succession, the difference is that tech death is faster, more complex, and typically has better T-shirts. I used to be quite interested in music which fused the two styles, namely early Arsis, early Revocation, and Vornagar’s sole album. These days I typically veer toward the blacker and thrashier realms, which is why I found it so surprising that Enblood’s Cast to Exile appealed to me as much as it did.” Tentacles in your face.

Order ov Riven Cathedrals – Göbekli Tepe [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Grymm on December 16, 2018 in 2018, Italian Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 49 comments

“Göbekli Tepe, located in the southeastern part of Turkey, is believed to be the world’s oldest temple, predating the pyramids by roughly 6,500 years. With recent diggings finding three-dimensional figures of animals and humanoids in a period where many believed hunter-gatherers couldn’t possibly achieve such architecture, Göbekli Tepe continues to amaze historians just over twenty years after its excavation. It’s fitting that a mysterious Italian duo, Order ov Riven Cathedrals, would use this phenomenon as the title for their second album of utterly crazy technical death metal.” Olden worship.

Serocs – The Phobos/Deimos Suite Review

By Kronos on November 1, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, International Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 103 comments

“By infecting the percussive brutality of Cryptopsy with a whiff of the counterpoint of Spawn of Possession, …And Then the Sky Was Opened won over our own Dr. Fisting. A good album, to be sure, but one which still came with a few production idiosyncrasies and shortcomings that kept it off of regular rotation for me. The Phobos/Deimos Suite is the tremendously talented band’s chance to finally get the formula right.” Suite but deadly.

Psycroptic – As the Kingdom Drowns

By Kronos on October 30, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 120 comments

“In retrospect, Psycroptic’s self-titled album looks bland; safe, dependable, unexciting, the 9-to-5 desk job or upscale barista gig that kills time and pays bills until your creative career takes off again, you know? The danger in complacence loomed, and it became all too reasonable to predict that Psycroptic had donned their monkey suits and aprons, never to take them off again. Before we knew it, the band would have a fucking crossover SUV and a mortgage. And who could blame them if As the Kingdom Drowns turned out to be phoned-in?” Growing up technical.

Arsis – Visitant Review

By Saunders on October 29, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 61 comments

“Five years since 2013’s solid and thrashy Unwelcome, Arsis make a pivotal return with sixth LP, Visitant. With a stable line-up in tow, Malone has masterminded a visceral, energized collection of tunes, set to catapult Arsis back to the top of the American melo-death pile.” Back to rule.

Cryptopsy – The Book of Suffering – Tome II Review

By Kronos on October 25, 2018 in 2018, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 194 comments

“Much as they, and we, desperately want to move past it, Cryptopsy have for a long time been known for questionable, if not outright awful, stylistic decisions. Even with the music back on track, The Book of Suffering series of EPs insists on having some of the shittiest cover art imaginable, apparently under the impression that breasts decay far slower than the rest of the body, and that we’re all really into that sort of thing. I’d consider taking points off but the sad fact is that if I docked the score for every misogynistic album cover we’d probably stop getting promo altogether.” In the crypt, less is more.