The quality control at Transcending Obscurity continues to be of high value, as we come to this first album from Birmingham’s progressive death metallers, “As the World Dies”. Certainly, lead guitarist Scott Fairfax is going to be a familiar name to anyone who’s been following Memoriam since they burst onto the scene, and he’s also plying his trade with venerable death metal crew Massacre. We could of course make a bit of a fuss given that there’s an all-star set of vocalists guesting on this album, such as the mighty Karl Willets (Bolt Thrower, Memoriam), Dave Ingram (Benediction et.al.) and Kam Lee (Massacre), but that would be missing the point a little, because although those are names that might make metal fans sit up and take notice, there’s plenty here from the band proper to peak your interest.

Rounding off the band are Jay Price (Vocals), Chris McGrath (Drums), Bill Richmond (Bass) and Ash Cotterill (Guitars and back up Vocals). Actually, many of the band are associated with up and coming death metallers Pemphigoid, and to this end it may not be all that surprising to learn that “As The World Dies”is a solid slab of UK style death metal. Definitely rooted in the mid-tempo range of things, those Memoriam-esque melodies from Scott ring throughout the album, albeit there’s definitely a little less emphasis on hooks and more on atmosphere throughout the ten tracks on “Agonist”.

In terms of producing a feeling, “Agonist” does have an expansive aspect to it. Take, for instance the sprawling “Red Death”. It starts slowly, building up the tension with some nifty drum work while a droning melody laces itself over the top. A crawl, it rings an unsettling tune, a tension and produces real dread. By way of contrast, when they decide to put on the afterburners, “Thin Out The Herd”, with its unsettling lyrics about death by virus, is a vicious number and manages to show how they can be aggressive and cutting.

As you would expect, the production is absolutely spot on, and easily as good as anything you’re going to hear from a death metal band this year, with lots of clarity despite the growling guitar and thunderous rhythm section. Song writing too is on point, with each number having a distinct sound and being memorable long after the album finishes. For my ears, I’d rather there were a few more of the faster numbers here and there to keep the energy levels up, but that may be the price we have to pay for having an engaging and thought-provoking record.

(7.5/10 Chris Davison)

https://www.facebook.com/BrumDeathMetal

https://astheworlddies.bandcamp.com/album/agonist-death-metal