Don’t be fooled by this US band’s moniker, as whilst it suggests a band of tremendous death metal brutality, this has been only relevant to the early part of the bands career and discography. Currently, and in the last couple of albums, the band has switched into a far more progressive realm and with awesome results, it has to be said, as this fifth album continues the progressive leaning into ever more ambitious and experimental areas.
‘The Blaze’ is the opening piece, an eerie intro construction revelling in its own melodicism before ‘Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology Of Dawn)’ launches with a clean production and highly melodic riffing base. In places the album has an almost psychedelic poise, not a trippy kind of styling, but more to do with how the album feels. With an amalgamation of deep, harsh and clean vocals ‘Chrysopoeia…’ is afforded a level of experimentalism that fans of progressive metal will absolutely appreciate. There is so much occurring on all the songs it is possible to write a paragraph about each as ‘Neon Leviathan’ follows with a bass and drum opening that leads into a very cool bass riff with percussive highlighting. The step on the accelerator leads the track down double bass cascading and is very different to the song that preceded it.
‘Aurora Neoterica’ is a short interlude piece that paves the way for ‘Preterition Hymn’ where a fade in with secluded guitar gives the song an increasing tension before the harsh vocal insertion which contrasts with overt melodic nature the song possesses and had me scribbling down Mors Principium Est and that ilk of bands that favour a far more melodic almost cinematic prowess. It is still exceptionally brutal however, the bombarding rhythm section and extreme vocals make it so as another fade-in structure is heard on ‘Cult Of Shaad’oah’. You know it’s going to explode, you can feel it in the mood of the song and indeed it does as the duelling guitar work elevates it to a potent and pristine mauling that is epic and pulverising in equal proportions.
As I indicated earlier, there is so much happening on this album, it takes a few listens to absorb everything it has to offer as ‘Exeg(en)esis’ offers spiralling and pirouetting guitar amidst the songs devastating progressiveness so much so that the song and the album in places had me thinking about psychedelic warriors Oranssi Pazuzu though obviously within a death metal context instead of black metal. The diversity of this track is such that each passing second sees the song layer on ever increasing intensity and hook driven violence.
The title track continues that sense of psychedelic extremity and where other tunes had a more melodic styling the title track has an excellent grisly riff but still saturated in catchiness as here there is a slight tinging of blackness to the aura of the song before the album closes with ‘The Death Knell Ringeth’. Being far more progressive the song offers croaky harsh vocals seemingly alternating with a schizoid screamed style which increases the songs feral violence but is still extremely melodic.
One for all fans of progressive and technical death metal genres, it is steeped in extravagant musicianship that you cannot fail to be mesmerised by. Stunning album by Horrendous.
(9/10 Martin Harris)
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