While this Norwegian trio may have been around for over 20 years, this is only their third album, with it being 9 years since their last offering. But they are definitely going the ‘quality over quantity’ route and I must admit that I really enjoyed this album. While it’s rooted in death metal, there are plenty of additional elements thrown in for good measure and to make it remarkably interesting, from insane timing signatures to instruments not usually associated with the genre. Just take on board the list attributed to bassist Eyvind: bass guitar, electric upright bass, cello, theremin, synth. and it would appear vocal duties are shared amongst all three, with drummer Hans Jørgen and guitarist Dmitry doing their bit too.

Opening track “Loitering in the Portal” begins proceedings with plenty of distorted guitars and bass, but then the blasting drums come in with the rapid-fire growls before the tempo subdues slightly to allow the growls to linger a little longer over the bass runs.

Speaking of bass runs, that’s exactly what starts off “Bionic Tomb Eternal”, but that melody sticks in your head even after the tempo races away, as the bass is always clearly audible with the vocals having a very early Carcass feel to them.

Apart from being the longest song on the album, “Abnegations” flitters through some weird movements with some jazzy offbeat timing signatures, to mellow meandering and breakneck blasting all without losing its integrity.

“The Endless Spiral” begins very slowly but like all spirals, it gets faster as it spins closer to the core, but then slows down again as it wanes before some guttural growling over a steady guitar riff wind it all up for the diskordant lead.

While the feel of “Dirigiste Radio Hit” is bordering on slow, that’s mainly owing to the drum tempo being laid back even though the guitars are strummed at a much higher pace, which is eventually matched by the drums for good measure as the vocals head towards a more black metal rasp.

Instrumental “Lone Survivor” is a brief interlude at a gentler pace that makes “Dragged for Coronation” seem all the more manic with its barked vocals and rumbling bass over the scratchy lead break.

“Clawing at the Fabric of Space” is very airy as the song builds towards its manic crescendo before breaking down without any cohesive timing signature to add to the feeling of desperation and lack of control.

The very steady riff groove is littered with little guitar breaks and bass runs that give “Atoms Decay” a much shorter half-life than most of the other songs, while “Raging Berzerker in the Universe Rigid” slows things down for its bridges while the verses are up-tempo and the choruses all out bass attack.

The penultimate song “Gnashing” whips things up a in a frenzy of guitars and drums before being pared back to give it a fuller sound as the bass head off in its own direction while the guitar breaks into heady leads.

The album ends on a more sombre note with “Beyond the Grim” where things sound heavier as the notes linger for longer as the buzz of the cello fills up the background and drums are boomier to add to the spatial effect.

More and more is noticeable with each repeated listen, and that’s always a good thing when so many bands have a signature sound that doesn’t change from song to song.

(8/10 Marco Gaminara)

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https://diskordband.bandcamp.com/album/degenerations-dissonant-technical-death-metal