Technical Death Metal

Ahtme – Mephitic Review

Ahtme – Mephitic Review

By Mark Z. on July 20, 2020 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 28 comments

“It’s hard to believe considering my current taste, but back in the mid 00s I consumed all the tech death I could. I devoured Arsis, Deeds of Flesh, Origin, and all the other bands who were just coming into their own in the midst of MySpace and metalcore. My tastes have changed since then, but it doesn’t take much to make me give a genre another try. And by “doesn’t take much,” I mean a Monday night death metal show two years ago that just happened to be taking place at my favorite bar in town.” Easy Z.

GOD – IV – Revelation Review

GOD – IV – Revelation Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on July 17, 2020 in Reviews, Instrumental Metal, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 63 comments

“Narnia is one thing. Try a band whose name says it all. Try GOD. All bold, all caps, almighty. I can see you looking at the genre tags, expecting words like ‘gospel’ and ‘power metal.’ Instead, you see ‘prog,’ ‘instrumental,’ and ‘tech-death.’ Do you believe in revelations? Well, you’re about to.” Get right with the Man.

Exocrine – Maelstrom Review

Exocrine – Maelstrom Review

By TheKenWord on June 22, 2020 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 16 comments

“Are you ready for a hot take? I enjoy deeply of Exocrine‘s Molten Giant. Regardless of the criticisms it received in the linked review, I return to that record still, twenty-two months after it’s initial release. Tight, jagged and delightfully choppy, Exocrine delivered a big sleeper with Molten Giant. It looked like stock tech-death, sounded like stock tech-death, and stepped on just about every mine littering the tech-death field. Yet, it put a big, stupid grin on my big, stupid face.” Squid pro quo.

Killitorous – The Afterparty Review

Killitorous – The Afterparty Review

By TheKenWord on May 20, 2020 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 33 comments

“Yep. That’s a band name. Killitorous. Say it a couple times and soon you’ll see what they did there. Tasteful, right? I’ll be honest, it took me way too long to find it (ayyyy), but by that point I was already four listens into the Canadian supergroup’s sophomore record The Afterparty and was having too much fun to care about the silly double-entendre anymore. After all, we did give high marks to bands with such respectable names as Fvneral Fvkk and Shitfucker, right? So who am I to judge?” Tech-deathicus for the rest of us.

Venomous Skeleton – Drowning in Circles Review

Venomous Skeleton – Drowning in Circles Review

By Dear Hollow on April 26, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Technical Death Metal, 14 comments

“Having been raised in church, I found my religious experience carried over into my vast expeditions into metal’s colorful multiverse: I find myself reaching more and more for the stuff that incorporates a unique tone of reverence, a sound of standing beneath the colossal or infinite. For bands like Batushka, Ancient Moon, and Behemoth, this liturgical and hieratic atmosphere is proposed through its ritualistic songwriting and uses of common religious musical elements (Gregorian chants, choirs, etc.) contrasting with blasphemy’s twisted dagger in an aural representation of madness. Sonne Adam‘s death/doom solo LP Transformation did this for me.” Worship music.

Symbolik – Emergence Review

Symbolik – Emergence Review

By Twelve on April 10, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Technical Death Metal, The Artisan Era, Uncategorized, Symphonic Metal, Technical Death Metal, 29 comments

“I’ve always preferred melodic death metal to plain death metal. While I appreciate the skill involved in well-crafted brutality, I generally insist on having some kind of melody to follow along with or atmosphere to get lost in. I remember when Archspire hit the Angry Metal world through Relentless Mutation, and I could not understand the appeal. One day, not too long ago, it just… clicked. The technical skill, the expert neoclassical weavings, the sheer unmatched power of the thing — I’ve loved the album ever since. And ever since, I’ve been hungry for more. Symbolik are the next tech-death group to take a shot at winning my heart with Emergence, their debut full-length.” Heart clicks.

Aronious – Perspicacity Review

Aronious – Perspicacity Review

By Kronos on March 17, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, The Artisan Era, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 22 comments

“Before the podium this week is the debut from Wisconsin’s Aronious, a prog/tech death outfit with impressive chops and no lack of ambition. Across Perspicacity, Aronious can’t relax, and nor can they yield, relent, or…  uh… Anyway, they’ve heard every tech death band and will pretend to be all of them.” Pretensions to the throne.

Thoren – Gwarth II Review

Thoren – Gwarth II Review

By Kronos on February 22, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Dryland Records, Experimental Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, Instrumental Metal, Technical Death Metal, 21 comments

“There’s a menagerie of experimental groups about the borders of the black and death metal scenes, tracing out their own paths without much regard for popular approval or commercial success. On occasion, these groups will sweep into the mainstream, but for the most part, their influence is more subtle, appearing in an adulterated form in the riskier songs of established artists. If your poison is black metal you can choose between the flavors of Krallice (ever bolstered by their lineup’s star power), Jute Gyte, Genevieve, and many others. If your neck is a bit larger in diameter, you might want to choke down Baring Teeth, Coma Cluster Void, or this week’s subject, Thoren.” Buffet of bitters.