The Pitch: "From the rotten shores of the River Medway in Kent, UK", Infected Dead have emerged via Hostile Media "to deliver six tracks of visceral death metal, brutal, catchy, influenced by genre leaders Aborted and The Black Dahlia Murder, as well as a love of the occult and Lovecraftian cosmic horror."
What I Like: The more I write about tech death bands, the harder it is to come up with unique descriptions. But make no mistake, Infected Dead are a focused and talented band. Both their compositional and performance skills are very much on par with like-minded peers from The Faceless to Within the Ruins. The guitars and drums on this album display incredible speed and dexterity while serving up some really contagious melodies and grooves along the way. "Resurrectionist" in particular gets my motor running, but opening track "Archaic Malevolence" certainly has its moments. The little bass solo towards the end is a short but impressive touch that makes all the difference. It's also nice to know that the band understands the need for varied pace. Breakneck speed for an entire album becomes tiresome, so throwing in some head-bobbing midpaced tracks like "Invocation Of Unspeakable Gods" is a good move.
Critiques: At the end of the day, this is still your typical tech death album. A particularly solid entry in terms of musicianship, but not one that is going to leave you impressed with its level of creativity.
The Verdict: Archaic Malevolence is a highly satisfying record both in terms of instrumentation and overall engagement, but it's not anything particularly new. If you're just drawn to this genre like I am, you'll find plenty to enjoy. But if you were hoping for the next big thing, there may be some disappointment. Stream and purchase below.
Flight's Fav's: Resurrectionist, Forced Existence, Samsara
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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