Eschaton is a Massachusetts-based technical death metal band that's been around the block for a little over a decade now. Today's particular release being their sophomore full-length and third effort overall since the band's mid 2000s formation, it's time to dissect their formula and find out what truly makes this New England quintet tick.
Released not too long ago via Unique Leader Records, this nine song effort takes listeners down a roughly 34 minute journey through techy riffs in the vein of Nile/Revocation, drumming akin to oldschool death metal from the 1990s, Obituary-like vocals and more.
The first song happens to be the most elaborate, I guess I'd call it, out of them all. Mainly due to the length compared to the others and the amount of riffing action there is. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of the material on later tracks such as the self-titled one. However, there is something about the fleshed out nature of the early album songs that stuck with me. The other focus track is another classic in the form of the self-titled song. It begins with a pretty technical guitar line with some stellar thrashy rhythm backing and turns into even more technical Dying Fetus/Nile type of riffs and melodies. The tone hits hard throughout and the mid growls give off a slight deathcore vibe. It tops off with a solo followed by some chugging breakdowns. The third banger I'd like to mention is 'Wake of the Ophidian', which I enjoyed mainly for the added pig squeals/vocal variety, After The Burial-esque polyrhythms and guitar lines, as well as the slow, but brutal interlude. The chugging continues here, with an ending guitar solo that transitions into some pretty sweet ambiance. There are a couple songs I didn't care for, such as the 'Exordia' track, which kinda felt like a filler thrown in midway; in addition to 'Imperial', which kinda felt like it was a rehash of the earlier stuff. The outro instrumental track is pretty dope, though.
All in all, there is quite a bit to be said about Eschaton's latest outing. But overall, it's a somewhat techy and sometimes melodic-influenced and inspired spontaneous listen from start to finish. There is a touch of brutal death elements akin to some of the more oldschool bands, though the focus is on a more standard, novel death metal formula. It's kind of a mixed bag at times with the song structures and sound, but, there are enough cool solos, nostalgic death metal growls and war/death-inspired themes to get me through it all and perhaps make me come back for more in the near future.
Fave Tracks: 'Born into Shadows', 'Death Obsession, 'Wake of the Ophidian'
For Fans Of: Obituary, Revocation, Suffocation
**This release is available now here!**
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-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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