The Pitch: Ripping, wicked technical death metal from Nashville, TN's Virulent Depravity and The Artisan Era Records. FFO The Zenith Passage, The Ritual Aura, Cryptopsy
What I Like: My love for you is ticking clock, BERZERKER! I'm not entirely sure why that came to mind, but it was my first thought when considering how to describe these riffs. If you're familiar with any of the bands above, that knowledge will probably serve you better than my usual word salad of recycled adjectives. But boiling it down to the obvious: fast, harsh, and ever-changing. If you pop out an earbud like I happened to do in order to talk to someone, you'll immediately notice that the racing notes are also different in the right and left channels. When I put it back in I felt like I was part of some sort of brainwashing experiment. That's not even mentioning the drummer's inability to commit to a single time signature or the vocalist's need to scream from his very bowels. Not relationship material, these guys; but a meatlhead's dream. I also can't wrap this part up without praising the surprise classy dinner party piano on the closing track or Colin's amazing bass guitar skills. Dude is all over those meaty strings.
What I Don't Like:This album doesn't stand out from the pack quite as much as Replacire, but that's a minimal complaint. If they can continue to differentiate their sound with a few more tricks then they'll very quickly rise above the rest.
The Verdict: A chaotic, but well-written album that is simultaneously crushing and intellectually rewarding. Check out this complex, but digestible album in full this Friday.
Flight's Fav's: Serpentine Messiah, Spineless Obedience, Desecrating Eden