The Pitch: Australian progressive technical death metal band, The Ritual Aura, dial up the weird just a year after earning a spot on my favorite death metal albums of 2015.
What I Like: In my previous review I commended this band for their experimentation on "Erased in the Purge." I don't know if they read that, but they have certainly run much further in that direction with this release. Whereas Laniakea was a relatively straight-forward tech death album, Tæther is a more multi-faceted work with avant-garde leanings. There are still plenty brutal vocals (even a touch of breeing), but they are offset by a variety of progressive riffs that take the listener on an expansive journey. The increased interplay of the atypical clean vocals continue to be a welcome element as well.
What I Don't Like: It feels a tad long.
The Verdict: The Ritual Aura were already a commendable band when it came to pure instrumentation, but with Tæther they have truly spread their wings with compositions that promise to go toe-to-toe with big name progressive acts in the future.
Flight's Fav's: Te-no-me, I Am No Longer I, Mononoke • 二 • On Wax Wings Ablaze