This nineteen year old quartet are releasing their third album, a decade after their last release. And a fine album it is. Their style of old school death metal filled with some doomy and thrashy elements works well in delivering an album that is not boring nor monotonous.
The opener and tile track “Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle)” wastes no time in getting heavy with Nick Kolar and Steffen Augstein’s guitars working well together using slightly different riffs to great effect.
Nick’s vocals on “Locust Infestation” are low and guttural to match the down-tuned guitars but fast paced to match cadence of the drums, but it’s the lead that is rather impressive in its complex simplicity.
Slow and choppy with plenty of kick triplets “Chaos Awakening” uses both guitars effectively to deliver harmony and power and rather airy leads when their time comes.
“New Slave Democracy” has the guitars and drums focused around the vocals as they speed up and slow down while the vocal cadence remains unflinching and unchanged.
The slow but heavy “Insidious Greed” plods along until about half way along before the melody guitar starts an intricate riff that speeds up having the remaining instruments follow suit and the doom-death vocals step up a notch too.
A far more allegro feel is used on “Invidia” where Flo Puchert uses a far more simple and bouncy drum beat to achieve the gaiety of the music.
“Superbia” has a very Bolt Thrower feel to the buzzing of the chunky riff and vocal delivery, while “And Death Swings the Scythe” starts off with twin Spanish guitars that fall into a distorted heavy riff that cranks up the energy but keeps the harmony as Toby Brandl’s rumbling bass riff takes over the rhythm, finally ending with the Spanish guitars fading out.
Having nothing to do with Xentrix, “Shattered Existence” has the drums ramping up the pace as the guitars work through various riffs and leads over the low vocal growls.
Nice and heavy, but with a fast paced lightness about it that keeps it angry but enjoyable.
(8/10 Marco Gaminara)
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