Replicant - Hypochondria of the Machine 7"

Labels: Self-Released/Transcending Obscurity Records

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 20 Dec 2019/21 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Hymns of Distress

2. Limbic Thrust

I decided to reach for something a little shorter this evening. I initially thought this two-song EP from US tech-death band Replicant was a fully fledged 2025 release until I dug deeper. It was originally self-released digitally by the band back in late 2019 and Transcending Obscurity Records elected to give it it's first physical release in January. The time and care that's going into re-issuing older material now is great to see. Bands and labels are really upping their game in that regard, with this 7" being no exception.

I fear this release will send me down yet another musical rabbit hole and honestly, I’m here for it! ‘Hymns of Distress’ is brimming with avant-garde yet ferocious modern death metal. It’s blasting percussion and thunderous bass are matched by the guitar, with it’s sometimes metallic/sometimes downtempo riffing. The vocals have an old-school guttural sound (from a time before pig squeals). 

‘Limbic Thrust’ is a couple of minutes shorter than the EP’s opener but that’s fine because Replicant choose to slow down the tempo (albeit subtly), providing a song that’s surprisingly catchy and memorable as a result. I can completely see why Transcending Obscurity chose to give this a vinyl release. It’s a great introduction to Replicant for those unfamiliar.

I’ve read comments by people saying that this EP is too short. I would agree if it wasn’t for that fact that it’s songs are of the highest quality. This is your cue to go and seek out their releases new (and old).

You can stream and purchase this EP digitally from Replicant below:-

Physical 7" copies and various other merch items/bundles can be purchased from Replicant/Transcending Obscurity Records here - https://replicantband.bandcamp.com/album/hypochondria-of-the-machine

Replicant - https://www.facebook.com/replicantnj

Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords

Pathogenic - Crowned In Corpses

Labels: Skepsis Recordings

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 07 Feb 2025

Tracklist:

1. Mass Grave Memory

2. The New Rot

3. Dead But Not At Rest

4. Exiled from the Abyss

5. Fragments

6. Crowned in Corpses

7. Drag Your Crosses

8. Silicon Regime

I decided to take a few days off recently and it has proven to be the wrong decision. My rhythm is completely out of whack, especially when it comes to writing. I've had this review queued up for about the same amount of time and I couldn't sit on it any longer.

Crowned In Corpses is the latest album from US prog death band Pathogenic and it's due for official release on February 7th via Skepsis Recordings. Pathogenic formed in 2004 and this is their third full-length to date. They have shared the stage with the likes of Suffocation, Revocation and The Faceless amongst many other, while also performing at festivals including the mighty New England Metal and Hardcore Festival along the way.

It’s prog-death time again thanks to Massachusetts quintet Pathogenic. Crowned In Corpses will be released on Friday, so this review acts as another quick heads-up on it. Opening with ‘Mass Grave Memory’, you’re greeted with dissonant guitars, off-kilter drums, creepy modern synth work and guttural vocals. It has quite a clean sound for such a heavy album, but don’t let that worry you. From what seemed like a straight-forward first salvo, ‘The New Rot’ dials up the progression a couple of notches, adding in more off-kilter bass/guitar drops and wild lead work throughout. There’s plenty of full-throttle moments in there but it’s the closing section that really hits the spot. Just when it sounds as though it’s coming to an end, Pathogenic throw in a final dramatic solo amidst the death metal backdrop.

The wholesome acoustic intro and seductive guitar build-up on ‘Dead But Not At Rest’ smacks of classic progressive heavy metal before Pathogenic’s true sound takes over once again. There’s a lot more made of the instrumentation here, though the vocals aren’t hiding away. This is a beast of an album so far. Talking of beasts, ‘Exiled From The Abyss’ is the perfect song to close out the first half of Crowned in Corpses. There’s more of a European/Scandinavian tone to it and the slightly shorter length means it has a crushing urgency too, even when the bridge section slows things briefly.

Kicking off the album’s second half with ‘Fragments’, Pathogenic take a gentler approach (if that were possible) by replacing their dissonant death metal sound with something more brooding and melodic. There’s no break in momentum either and as soon as ‘Fragments’ comes to it’s final conclusion, the album’s title-track ‘Crowned In Corpses’ takes over with barely a breath. Normal service is very much resumed too, as the careening heaviness is back in spades on what turns out to be the shortest song.

“Drag Your Corpses’ is everything you want and need this far into a record. Hard and heavy, it prepares you for the album’s curtain closer ’Silicon Regime’, which delivers a truly progressive high-bar. I’ve been putting off using this comparison up to now but I feel that Pathogenic sit absolutely perfectly alongside many past/present Willowtip bands (like Electro Quarterstaff, Wormed, Vale of Pnath etc). Maybe I’m way off but that’s how this hits me.

If you’re waiting for release day to stream/buy this then you’re gonna be in for a treat. Pathogenic have been plying their trade now for over twenty years and that experience shows. Top-tier stuff for sure!

You can stream and purchase three of the album's singles including 'Dead But Not At Rest' below:-

You can pre-order physical copies and also merch from the Skepsis Recordings store here:-

https://www.skepsisrecordings.com/collections/pathogenic

Pathogenic - https://www.facebook.com/pathogenicmetal

Skepsis Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/skepsisrecordings

Virologist - Ameliorating Vicissitudes EP

Labels: New Standard Elite

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 27 May 2024

Tracklist:

1. Opprobrium Transmogrification

2. Reanimation Of Mechanical Flesh Through Cybernetic Enslavement

Californian brutal death metal quintet Virologist have been on a bit of a wild ride over the last twelve months or so. Having self-released their Promo 2023 demo last July on both cd and digital formats, they came to the attention of Indonesian death metal label Brutal Mind, who also pressed it on . Fast-forward a year and their newest EP Ameliorating Vicissitudes has been released on cd via US brutal/tech death bastion New Standard Elite. The fact that NSE elected to sign Virologist and release this two-track EP off the back of just a demo suggests that there's much more to come from these guys.

Today is a significant day for me as it marks my first cup of proper coffee in well over five years. I stopped drinking coffee because it (instant coffee to be more precise) was giving me the shakes and palpitations. I cleaned and fired up my coffee machine today and despite the noise it created after laying dormant for so long, I took a chance. It might help with my productivity but also I might regret it later on.

Anyway, none of the above has anything to do with this review other than to frame why it may be a bit all over the place. This EP’s first song ‘Opprobrium Transmogrification’ is an incredibly technical take on brutal death metal, albeit with the requisite pig-squeals. I love the attention and detail that’s put into the instrumentation on this release but, as with the majority of similar sounding records, the vocals make me switch off slightly.

Virologist’s second song ‘Reanimation Of Mechanical Flesh Through Cybernetic Enslavement’ is slightly longer than the EP and follows in exactly the same vein. If they were to release an instrumental version of this EP I’d be all over it! With that being said though, I’m not a fan of being disrespectful to bands. Virologist know exactly what they’re going for sound-wise and deserve huge respect for it. 

As a sign of what’s to come, this EP is a really good listen. It contains details that might take a few listens to truly appreciate. While I gravitate towards the slower/murkier/old-school side of death metal, I can appreciate the work and love that has gone into these tracks. You can forget about Elon Musk micro-dosing on Ketamine to help him focus, a bit of coffee is all that’s needed.

You can stream and purchase this EP digitally via New Standard Elite below:-

You can grab cd copies from Virologist here - https://virologist.bandcamp.com/album/ameliorating-vicissitudes

Virologist - https://www.facebook.com/virologistband

New Standard Elite - https://www.facebook.com/@NewStandardElite

The Scalar Process - Coagulative Matter

Labels: Transcending Obscurity Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 19 Feb 2021

Tracklist:

1. Elevation

2. Cosmic Flow

3. Ink Shadow

4. Celestial Existence

5. Mirror Cognition

6. Poisoned Fruit

7. Azimuth

8. Beyond The Veil Of Consciousness

9. Ouroboros

10. Coagulative Matter

11. Somnambulation

Coagulative Matter is the debut album from French technical death metal trio The Scalar Process,  made up of guitarist/composer Eloi Nicod, vocalist Mathieu Lefevre and drummer Clement Denys (of Fractal Universe, who provides all session drums on this recording). It was released very early in 2021 by constantly rising Indian extreme metal label Transcending Obscurity Records. The Scalar Process brings technical/progressive death metal brimming with lyrical themes about space, spirituality, psychology and even depression. It comes on both physical CD and digital formats, with the CD pressing comprising of a limited coffin-shaped wooden box set (which was limited to 60 and is now sold out) and an 8-panel digipack edition that is still available.

Over recent years I’ve found myself gravitating to the sludgier, dirtier old-school end of death metal’s spectrum. I do enjoy the more modern progressive sound though. You can’t read too much into what’s coming on the album from opener ‘Elevation’, as it acts as more of an intro. I often think that three-piece bands playing this form of death metal can sound a little thin, but actually that’s not an issue for The Scalar Process, as it helps their progressive/jazz influences come through more in the recording. They flit between fast extreme tempos and musicianship, and more introspective instrumental virtuosity (but not the overtly obtuse kind). The latter instrumental experimentation is definitely a key part of their sound, as demonstrated by ‘Cosmic Flow’. ‘Ink Shadow’ is more of a characteristic tech-death song (if ever there was one) with an excellent guitar-led mid-section and solo (which was provided by guest musician Scott Carstairs of Fallujah). 

For me, most bands of this ilk can be quite formulaic in approach and don’t put enough variation into their albums. I’m really enjoying this one so far though as The Scalar Process have crafted something that’s not just constant blasts and monotone screaming. They vary song-lengths, heaviness, technicality and melody to stop things from becoming stale. They stretch their sound slightly on ‘Celestial Existence’ yet they always keep coming back to that engrossing instrumental closing piece that’s so effective.

Talking engrossing instrumentals, ‘Mirror Cognition’ takes you on a trip through the galaxy without you even needing to leave the ground, through earthy guitar and calming sounds right up to the closing sixty seconds, where things change drastically as black metal-like high pitched vocals (guest vocals here were provided by Mark Garrett of Kardashev/Viraemia) and raging percussion take over. The levels of precision on show throughout Coagulative Matter are obvious, especially on ‘Poisoned Fruit’. It’s a prime example of the skill of the band.

One of the most pleasing aspects of this album (if I haven’t already mentioned it) is the melody. It’s exemplified on ‘Azimuth’ via the guitar work, subtle electronic effects and additional choral vocals from guest vocalist Enlia. Add to that the constantly blasting percussion and low growls, and the song seems much longer that it’s two hundred and fifty five second playing time. The same can be said for the rest of the songs here as well. Things remain very similar on ‘Beyond The Veil Of Consciousness’, though there’s a lot more progression at play. Once again the band nails the atmosphere with the addition of clean vocals that sit  deeper amongst the instumentation.

After the headfirst and technical battering that’s just been delivered, there’s a short piano/orchestral piece called ‘Ouroboros’. It leads into the positively mammoth title-track ‘Coagulative Matter’ that resides over eleven minutes and is the penultimate song. If you’ve ever listened to UK death metal band Cryptic Shift, you might find some similarities when listening to this. It’s the closest comparison I can make without just naming constant names. Joining the main trio on this song is Tommy Bonnevialle (of Virulent Depravity and Deathawaits) who provides a piano solo, adding to the grandeur already on show. It’s quite hard to believe that this is a debut album. Ending with the otherworldly ’Somnambulation’, with cosmic choral harmonies and electronic sounds of the galaxy, it all comes to calming close.

You can stream and purchase the album digitally below, where you can also watch videos or 'Azimuth' and 'Beyond The Veil Of Consciousness':-

You can also purchase the 8-panel digipack cd version of the album above.

The Scalar Process - https://www.facebook.com/TheScalarProcess

Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords

Eximperituserqethhzebibsiputgakkathsulweliarzaxulum (Eximperitus) - Sahrartu

Labels: Willowtip Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 29 Jan 2021

Tracklist:

1. Saqummatu

2. Utpada

3. Tahadu

4. Anhutu

5. Inqirad

6. Riqutu

Eximperituserqethhzebibsiputgakkathsulweliarzaxulum (or Eximperitus for short) is a mysterious and technical death metal band from Belarus. Sahrartu is the band's second full-length (released via Willowtip Records), coming five years after their debut full-length Projecting the Singular Emission of the Doctrine of Absolute and All-Absorbing Evil…' (shortened and translated here, the full title and album can be found here). Also counting a couple of demos, an EP and a compilation amongst their current decade-long discography, they're proving to be a cult hit amongst death metal fans. Their lyrics are presented in an obscure and archaic version of Belarusian.

I think the only other Belarussian band I’ve come across in recent years is Pa Vesh En. Eximperitus are a very different beast and album opener ‘Saqummatu’ gives a great introduction to the band’s instrumental skill. Slow, almost doom-like riffs and bass are backed up by blistering percussion. It does a very good job of keeping you guessing as you progress into the album further.

Following the measured opening song, ‘Utpada’ is where Eximperitus begin to stretch their legs a little more, with the addition of deep growls and instrumental layers, which are both lightning fast yet also rooted in the gloomier death/doom camp at times. It’s very focused. There’s definitely a higher degree of progression within the music on Sahrartu, but ’Tahadu’ is just pure brutality in it’s best form. That’s not to say it isn’t without it’s listenability though, as Eximperitus delves back into their old-school/mid-paced arsenal later on, helping it to retain an air of true evil. 

As most people expect technical death metal songs to be short and sweet, the opposite is true here. The six songs on Sahrartu clock in at just over thirty seven minutes and as the second half of the album kicks in, you’re treated to ‘Anhutu’, which is the first of two that equal almost half of the entire running time. It’s a veritable mix of their punishing death metal and murkier yet melodic grandiosity. Absolutely killer!

‘Inqirad’ is the second of the two and it really captures the traditional roots of Eximperitus. Subtle choral singing sits beneath some virtuoso guitar work before shifting into a different gear, one that sounds even more menacing. Again, the tempo of the guitars and vocals are somewhat slower than that of the percussion, yet it works so well as a whole. You’ll get lost in it before you get tired of it, trust me!

Sahrartu closes with the soothing tones of ‘Rigutu’, which is far removed from the songs that have come before and like the album opener, is instrumental. Again, it’s really well delivered, just like the entire record. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook bands because they’re not from “popular” scenes or whatever. I maintain that you should in fact reach outside of your boundaries instead. If you do, you’ll discover bands like Eximperitus and you’ll be richer because of it.

You can stream and purchase Sahrartu digitally below:-

It's also available to buy on all physical formats via their bandcamp page as well.

Eximperitus - https://www.facebook.com/eximperitus.official

Willowtip Records - https://www.facebook.com/willowtip

Abiotic - Ikigai

Labels: The Artisan Era

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 12 Feb 2021

Tracklist:

1. Natsukashii

2. Ikigai

3. Covered The Cold Earth

4. Smoldered

5. The Wrath

6. If I Do Die

7. Souvenir Of Skin

8. Her Opus Mangled

9. The Horadric Cube

10. Grief Eater, Tear Drinker

11. Gyokusai

I feel like I'm cutting it a but fine with this review, as Abiotic's new album Ikigai is due for official release on Friday. I've never really been one for deadlines though, so I guess I'm more on top of things right now than I thought!. This is the band's third full-length and the Floridian tech/prog death metallers have assembled a who's who from the death metal genre as guests on here. They include Chaney Crabb of Entheos on 'Smoldered', Brandon Ellis and Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder on 'If I Do Die' and 'Souvenir Of Skin' respectively, Jared Smith of Archspire on 'Her Opus Mangled', Scott Carstairs of Fallujah on 'The Horadric Cube' and Jonathan Carpenter, previously of The Contortionist) on 'Grief Eater, Tear Drinker'. Of course, the members of Abiotic are not new to genre either, having spent part for their careers in Vale Of Pnath, Scale The Summit and Pathogenic amongst other bands.

Ikigai is an concept album influenced by Japanese culture that clocks in at fifty minutes, so there’s a lot to enjoy here. The album begins with the gentle intro ‘Natsukashii’, with it’s pan-pipe/flute-style melodies. The title song ‘Ikigai’ follows it with a mixture of traditional instrumental snippets and progressive death metal brutality, underpinned by more melody. It’s certainly experimental and Abiotic takes you on a journey through many layers of their collective song-writing and performing abilities. Stop/start in places but also wildly crushing at the same time.

The breadths of musicality that flow through the album, even at this early stage is crazy. ‘Covered The Cold Earth’ is both super heavy and orchestral at the same time, while featuring more than a hint of harsh, cold industrial tones within the percussion at times. Overall, it’s definitely more than fair to say that this is virtuosic. ‘Smoldered’ is the first song to welcome a guest, in the form of Chaney Crabb of Entheos, who provides vocals. They add extra depth to Abiotic’s sound here, with a great mix of both rasping screams and low growls smashing together from different ends of the extreme spectrum. It’s also where that percussive majesty reigns supreme too. So impressive!

Aside from the intro, everything on Ikigai stretches to over four to five minutes in length and to be honest, it’s the perfect length for these songs. Enough so that you get a true flavour of their sound if you haven’t heard Abiotic before. ‘The Wrath’ takes deathcore and plants it’s best parts deep within a truly carnage inducing tech-death song, that features the fastest kick-drumming I’ve ever heard this side of a drum machine.  Abiotic’s own progressive madness is joined on ‘If I Do Die’ by Brandon Ellis of The Black Dahlia Murder. His unmistakable lead work provides an extra edge to the Voivod-esque music that makes up the crossing point of this album. 

As if one member of TBDM wasn’t enough, ‘Souvenir Of Skin’ sees an appearance from Trevor Strnad. Now, it would be easy for all of these guests to overpower the impact of Ikigai, yet it’s kept on a tight leash thanks to even tighter musicianship. That’s the main thing you’ll take away from this entire album and it’s nowhere near over yet!. I like nothing more than a proper bass-heavy track and ‘Her Opus Mangled’ is one such beast. This time though it’s not the heavy rumble that’s drawing me in but the utterly bewildering tone of Archspire’s Jared Smith, who adds some awesomely melodic bass work to what is also another frighteningly strong song. Technicality aplenty here and no room for wandering attention spans either.

Talking of stuff that’s frightening, the percussion once again really takes on a form of it’s own during ‘The Horadric Cube’. I still can’t fathom how all of these musicians can come together and create something so enthralling and cohesive, while seemingly all being the equal of the other. There’s also a solo from Fallujah’s Scott Carstairs, which is the icing on the cake. Penultimate song ‘Grief Eater, Tear Drinker’ presents itself in a different way, this time with more vocal melody as well as instrumental melody, thanks to an appearance from ex-The Contortionist vocalist Jonathan Carpenter, whose clean vocals are such a great fit for the overall feel of the song. As is now familiar on Ikigai, Abiotic doesn’t take it easy at all and continues to lay the progressiveness on hard, which is no bad thing at all. 

It feeds directly into closer ‘Gyokusai’ and in doing so goes from serene to menacing, as far as atmosphere is concerned. The pace is slowed down at first, though that is somewhat of an illusion and what follows is just a sharp and explosive and when this album began. Ikigai is best described as a journey. One that’s more like a rollercoaster than a gentle cruise. It’s the first time I’ve listened to Abiotic properly and modern technical death metal now has a new pantheon to reach here.

Three songs are available for streaming prior to tomorrow's release below:-

You can still pre-order Ikigai on all three formats via Abiotic's bandcamp page above.

You can also buy copies from The Artisan Era here - https://www.theartisanerastore.com

Abiotic - https://www.facebook.com/AbioticBand

The Artisan Era - https://www.facebook.com/TheArtisanEra

Odious Mortem - Synesthesia

Labels: Willowtip Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 17 Jan 2020

Tracklist:

1. Dormant Retribution

2. Condemnation Fortold

3. Ruins Of The Timeworn

4. Replenish The Earth

5. In Abominable Form

6. Eagle's Tower

7. Cave Tower

8. Spirit Hole

9. Synchronicity

10. Dissonant Theology

I couldn't leave it any longer without diving into technical death metal again. This time it comes in the form of US quartet Odious Mortem and their 3rd (newest) full-length Synesthesia, which was released in January via Willowtip Records. Odious Mortem started out in 1998, releasing their very first demo five years later. Following that, they delivered two full-lengths (Devouring The Prophecy in 2005) and later (Cryptic Implosion in 2007), before a gap of thirteen years. This is their second Willowtip album.

If you want truly brutal and technical death metal in this modern age, you need look no further than Willowtip Records and the label has proven the ideal home for Odious Mortem. They instantly jump into album opener ‘Dormant Retribution’ with classic death metal battery and the requisite technical instrumentation that people have come to expect from this genre. They do it very well too. There’s a freedom about the music on Synesthesia, which is at odds with the sometimes rigid way in which brutal tech-death bands offen operate. ‘Condemnation Foretold’ benefits from a lengthier playing time and as a result, a more expressive structure with solos and progression joining the fray.

There’s no rest as the songs come thick and fast here, which is how it should be and on ‘Ruins Of The Timeworn’, aggression is mixed with subtle stop/start elements to drag everything in a more traditional direction. It’s easy to overlook how much inspiration death metal bands take from thrash metal. That influence is evident on ‘Replenish The Earth’ in it’s riffs and technicality. As previously on Synesthesia, it’s the instrumentation that really impresses and I could quite happily listen to an instrumental version of the album all day long. That’s not to say the vocals aren’t impressive, they are but they just seem to struggle against the music ever so slightly imo.

The sheer tempo led by the percussion on ‘In Abominable Form’ is near inhumane and even though the song seems brief, Odious Mortem fill it with breaks and subtle passages so it doesn’t just turn into a wall of brutality. Those passages are often off-kilter though and contain some traces of ADHD (musically anyway). Passing the midway point in the album and ‘Eagle’s Tower’ shows just what can be done when tech death meets prog death. It make this band/label pairing even more obvious, while overall this is strongest song on the album so far in terms of depth and musicality.

At this point with the intensity of ‘Cave Dweller’, it almost seems pointless tying to be more descriptive about the music except to say that it’s simply brutal. There you go, probably the least pretentious sentence I’ve come up with during this while review so far. The experimental side of Odious Mortem shines through once again on ‘Spirit Hole’, with it’s extended instrumental passages and constantly changing tempos. It’s a hell of a journey to fit into a sub four-minute song that’s for sure. 

Penultimate song ’Synchronicity’ is the instrumental track I’ve been waiting for on Synesthesia, as it demonstrates just how impressive the guitar-playing is on the album and when the full band kicks in at the midway point, that impression only gets better. There’s just something awe-inspiring about it. Closing out with ‘Dissonant Theology’ and as the title suggests, it’s a lesson in dissonance and extremity that’s tempered by the band’s controlled and accurate playing style. It’s a really strong way to finish the album. If you’re a fan of death metal in any form, you’ll find this album enjoyable. It may not be for everyone but as a standalone record, it’s bloody good.

You can stream and buy Synesthesia on all formats below:-

Odious Mortem - https://www.facebook.com/odiousmortemofficial/

Willowtip Records - https://www.facebook.com/willowtip/