Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies of Artificial Origin (2012)

Genre: Brutal Death Metal/Slam Metal

Release Date: February 28, 2012

1. Remnants of the Tortured (4:00)

2. A Massacre in the North (3:27)

3. Letting Them Fall... (3:33)

4. A Burial for the Abandonment (3:19)

5. Lack of Oxygen (2:34)

6. Wormhole Inversion (2:58)

7. The Anomalies of Artificial Origin (2:37)

8. The Last Communion (3:12)

The Anomalies of Artificial Origin is quite possibly the heaviest album of all time... Ok, that's admittedly an exaggeration (at least I have your attention).  Nonetheless, this band is certainly worthy of the moniker "brutal death metal".  The second release from Moscow's Abominable Putridity is 25 minutes of grinding, in-your-face slam metal.  This album is seriously heavy, with songs that could tip the scales more than Shaquille O'Neal weighing in at training camp.

Abominable Putridity has come a long way in the four years since the release of their debut album, In the End of Human Existence (2007).  Their first record was pretty much just a run-of-the-mill brutal death metal record - crunchy palm muted guitar riffs, blast beats, alternation between fast-tempo parts and breakdowns, and vocals so guttural that the listener could not pick out a single lyric without the words right in front of her/him.  I didn't find that album very impressive and so I didn't pay much attention to this Russian death metal act until I heard the leaked songs from this release last summer.

Remnants of the Tortured

If you've listened to the above track, "Remnants of the Tortured," then you should be able to see what I mean.  The guitar work is very tight, yet it doesn't lose that raw sound that is particular to slam/brutal death metal.  The vocals are menacing and gritty, just the way true metalheads like it.  Check out a couple more of their tracks below:

Letting Them Fall...

Anomalies of Artificial Origin

If you are a fan of straight-up, no holds barred death metal then you should feel right at home with The Anomalies of Artificial Origin.  Along with Pathology (who literally release an album every year; they're a model of productivity), Abominable Putridity are a band to look out for in brutal death metal.  Keep your eyes on these Russians.

Final Rating 8/10

3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Remnants of the Tortured, The Last Communion, Lack of Oxygen

Top 10 Metal Albums of 2012

As 2013 draws to a close, I decided to finally release my list of top 10 metal albums of 2012 (in anticipation of my list of 2013 albums).  2012 was, once again, a fantastic year for heavy metal.  There were a ton of great releases from genre juggernauts and newcomers alike.  I'm pretty happy with the list I've devised, whether you like it or not.  Once again, I must give the disclaimer that this list skews heavily towards death metal releases, since that is the type of metal I'm immersed in the most.  Also, it's just my favorite.  So here are the top 10 releases of 2012.

10. Kamikabe - Aberration of Man

This band has been grinding it out in the Pittsburgh metal scene for years.  They just lost their singer to The Faceless after the release of their amazing EP, Aporia.  But they're still producing amazing music, albeit with a singer that doesn't quite match the talents of Geoffrey Ficco.  Abberation of Man is a totally seamless album, with each track transitioning perfectly into the next.  It's amazing and definitely earns a spot in the top ten metal albums of the year.

9. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

Kreator delivers yet again with a crushing thrash metal release.  I swear these German juggernauts get better with every album.  The record kicks off with a great build up and then just grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go.  The only thrash metal band I prefer at this point is Exodus.  My favorite track is the closer, "Until Our Paths Cross Again."

8. Cryptopsy - Cryptopsy

Cryptopsy's latest release was the best come back album of the year (after their prior shitty metalcore release).  I've seen a lot of mediocre reviews on the internet about this record, but I have to disagree with the naysayers who say Cryptopsy's lost their edge.  Cryptopsy kicked some serious ass.  Just listen to "Damned Draft Dodgers" and "Red Skinned Scapegoat" if you don't believe me.  This is the best stuff they've put out since the 1990s.

7. Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

Between the Buried and Me dropped another epic release in 2012.  What can I say?  It's awesome.  Like really awesome.  Check it out.

6. Allegaeon - Formshifter

I'm always happy to see an American death metal band really tearing it up.  American bands always get a bad rap and the U.S. is typically considered an inferior music scene for metal.  I dispute this on a regular basis and bands like Allegaeon do a lot to support my case that the U.S. has a ton of great death metal bands.  

Allegaeon has really taken the modern melodic death metal scene by storm.  I was blown away by their 2010 full length debut, Fragments of Form and Function.  And this release was no different.  Technical elements merge with melodic elements to create an amazingly heavy and beautiful musical array.  Behold... Colorado's Allegaeon.

5. Spawn of Possession - Incurso

Hey folks, a Swedish band is really good at making technical death metal.  Shocker!!  If you haven't noticed, I'm being sarcastic.  Sweden has always had one of the best metal scenes and Spawn of Possession are among the best Sweden has to offer.  Incurso is the third release from Spawn and it's easily their best to date.  Amazing and eery sounding with all the intricacies and nuances I love about technical death metal.  Do yourself a favor and listen to it.  (Also, this was my favorite album cover of the releases I picked for 2012's top ten.)

4. The Faceless - Autotheism

I remember running across a lot of talk on the internet, speculating that this album would never be released.  Michael Keene may take awhile to produce an album, but let's face it, The Faceless is no Necrophagist.  We were bound to hear a finished product eventually.  And the result, Autotheism, was totally worth the wait (four years since their last release).  I hesitate to say this is their best release, since I really loved Planetary Duality, but it's damn close.  If you love technical death metal with traces of Dream Theater, then check out The Faceless.

3. Gorod - A Perfect Absolution

Random thought: this album cover reminds me of Final Fantasy 7.  I can't totally figure out why, but that's what springs to mind.  Anyhow, this album is totally insanely awesome.  I can't speak highly enough about Gorod.  France typically gets overlooked when it comes to metal music, but these Frenchmen totally rule.

Much like with Cryptopsy's release, I read a lot of reviews of this record that gave it mediocre remarks.  I just can't understand this because I was absolutely floored by A Perfect Absolution.  I think it's a perfect mix of heavy elements, melodic elements, technical elements, and jazzy elements.  Listen to "Varangian Paradise" or "Birds of Sulphur" and tell me you're not impressed.  And I'll tell you why you should be.

2. Psycroptic - The Inherited Repression

This album should have been number one.  Seriously.  And if it weren't for Jari Maenpaa it definitely would have been number one.  But alas, I'm ranking The Inherited Repression number two.  Psycroptic is one of my favorite death metal bands and this was their best release ever.  It's so refined yet retains an element of rawness at the same time.  And it's tight, insanely tight.  Check out my review of it for more details.  This is one of the best technical death metal releases to have ever dropped.  You need to be listening to it.

1. Wintersun - Time I

I really thought this album was never going to be released.  Seriously I had given up on ever hearing another Wintersun album.  The self-titled debut of Jari Maenpaa's (of Ensiferum fame) side project was absolutely amazing when it came out in 2004.  Eight songs of pure gold that still move me to this day.  I loved it so I was stoked for Time.  But then there were delays... and more delays... and technical issues.... and more delays.  It really felt like Maenpaa was pulling an Axl Rose.

But it finally came out and wow... Time I was totally worth waiting nearly a decade for.  However if Wintersun keeps me waiting another decade for their release of Time II (which is supposed to drop in 2014), I will not be pleased at all.  But here it is, the best metal album of 2012: Wintersun's Time I.


EDIT: When I made this original post I forgot that Kamikabe's full length debut came out in 2012.  I cannot ignore the fact that it was an amazing and seamless album that deserved to be on this list.  So sorry Mors Principium Est.  I guess you'll still be relegated to an underrated role, yet again.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)...

Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live

Pathology - The Time of Great Purification

Wretched - Son of Perdition

Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes

Dethklok - Dethalbum III

Napalm Death - Utilitarian

Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme

Cannibal Corpse - Torture

The Agonist - Prisoners

Beneath the Massacre - Incongruous 

Job for a Cowboy - Demonocracy

Grave - Endless Procession of Souls

Nile - At the Gate of Sethu

Malignancy - Eugenics

Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity (not really my cup o' tea, but fans fucking love it)

Meshuggah - Koloss (very close to making it on my list)

Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (also very close to the top 10)

Wretched Posts New Song, "Repeat... The End is Near"

Wretched has posted a new song, "Repeat... The End is Near" from their forthcoming album Son of Perdition (set to hit stores March 26th) on their Facebook account.  The video, up on the Victory Records Youtube account, features guitarists Steven Funderburk and John Vail performing the track alongside tabs to the song.

What struck me most about this track is how different it sounds from their previous work.  The guitar parts are reminiscent of other Wretched tracks pretty much only in tone.  And the vocal parts are quite different from their last two albums (they did get a new vocalist, but I heard him live this summer and he performed their other songs just like previous vocalists).  Beyond the Gate was released only a little over a year ago, so I was not expecting such a drastically different sound from Wretched.  I'm very interested to hear what the rest of the album will be like now that I've heard this song.  Check it out:

Allegaeon Posts New Track from Forthcoming Album

Allegaeon has posted a song from their forthcoming album, Formshifter, which is set to hit stores in the U.S. on May 8, 2012.  The track is called "Tartessos: The Hidden Xenochryst" and it's streaming live on Metal Blade Records' Youtube channel.  Check it out below:

Beneath the Massacre - Incongruous (2012)

Genre: Technical Death Metal

Release Date: February 14, 2012

1.  Symptoms (3:06)

2. Hunted (2:27)

3. Left Hand (2:42)

4. Hopes (3:32)

5. It (2:57)

6. Light (2:50)

7. Incongruous (1:04)

8. Pedestal (3:31)

9. Grief (2:15)

10. Damages (3:49)

11. Unheard (2:55)

Incongruous, which came out on Valentine's Day (how romantic?!), was one of the most highly anticipated releases unleashed in the early months of 2012.  It's been almost four years since the last full length Beneath the Massacre record dropped, so fans have been waiting quite some time for this album.

This record has everything we've come to expect from a BTM release: ultra-fast drumming, insane sweep picking and tapping guitar parts, fat bass tracks, and crushing vocals (oh and a few breakdowns as well).  One thing that became clear to me as I was listening to Incongruous is all the band members have improved at their instruments dramatically.  This record is pretty much a clinic displaying the unfathomable skills of Beneath the Massacre's instrumental work.

Symptoms

Christopher Bradley (guitar), Dennis Bradley (bass), and Justin Rousselle (drums) all most certainly have musical chops.  This is undeniable, but this is not to say this album is without its' problems.  Incongruous is a rather difficult album to digest at times.  There isn't much variety in the guitar riffs or the drum tracks throughout the record.  Most times it just seems to be a collection of insane blast beats, sweep tapping licks, ultra-fast double bass, interspersed tremolo picking riffs, etc, etc, ad infinitum.  I've listened to this release all the way through several times now and there aren't many parts that stick out in my mind.  While previous BTM albums, such as Mechanics of Dysfunction (2007), had a number of memorable riffs, Incongruous is unfortunately lacking in this department.

I get the feeling that Beneath the Massacre was looking to push their boundaries in terms of technicality on this release (which they certainly did).  However, they sacrificed some variety and originality in the process and I think that's unfortunate.  No one is going to dispute that these guys are proficient at their instruments.  Every song shouldn't have to be arranged to show what crazy sweep tapping riff Bradley can play or how fast Rousselle can pummel his drum kit.

Left Hand

I don't want to spend this whole review doling out criticism though because Incongrous is a really good album that has plenty of bright spots.  My favorite track on the record is the fifth one, entitled "It".  "It" shows what incredible potential Beneath the Massacre has to craft music that is not only technical for the sake of being technical, but also incredibly catchy and memorable as well.  They display their technical prowess on this track without sacrificing melody or brutality.

It

One aspect of this record that impressed me was Elliot Desgagne's vocals.  While I've always felt that Desgagne's technique has complimented Beneath the Massacre's instrumental style well, his vocals have never really stood out to me in comparison with other vocalists in the genre (like Derek Rydquist of The Faceless, just to name one).  He has really come into his own on this release and his vocal style sounds more refined than on their previous records.

Ultimately, while I don't feel this is BTM's best record, it is an excellent release and one that continues to grow on me the more I listen to it (in large part, the more I listen to "It").  I like the direction Beneath the Massacre's sound is going in and I hope they continue to develop both their technical skills and variety (though, the latter is what they need more of at this point).  When people come to me for death metal recommendations, Beneath the Massacre is always one of the first bands I mention.  This won't be changing anytime soon and I am rather pleased with the latest release from this Canadian technical death metal outfit.

Final Rating: 8.5/10

3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Symptoms, It, Damages

Psycroptic - The Inherited Repression (2012)

Genre: Technical Death Metal

Release Date: February 7, 2012

1. Carriers of the Plague (6:07)

2. Forward to Submission (3:56)

3. Euphorinasia (4:54)

4. The Throne of Kings (4:04)

5. Unmasking the Traitors (3:55)

6. Become the Cult (4:11)

7. From Scribe to Ashes (3:50)

8. Deprivation (5:44)

9. The Sleepers Have Awoken (4:08)

Wow.  Psycroptic have outdone themselves once again.  Coming off their latest release, Ob(Servant) (2008), I found it difficult to conceive that this Australian tech-death quartet would release an album even better than that excellent record.  Much to my delight, I was mistaken.  Psycroptic has crafted another masterpiece.

The Inherited Repression marks the fifth full length release for Psycroptic, and in my opinion, it's their best album to date.  This is not something I'm putting lightly.  I consider Ob(Servant) among my all-time favorite albums and it's a masterpiece in its' own right.  I've spent the last two weeks alternately listening to both those records so I could figure out which one I thought was better.  The Inherited Repression wins by a hair.

One of the things I love most about technical death metal is that the genre keeps getting pushed to new extremes each and every year.  A large factor in determining this trend is the fact that the musicians who started the genre are all getting better at playing their respective instruments as time goes by.  In addition, many of these bands (Psycroptic among them) are developing a more mature sound with each new release.  On the whole, this is the most mature-sounding album Psycroptic has recorded.

Carriers of the Plague

One aspect of this album that makes it stand out from other technical death metal releases is the flow of the music.  The songs aren't just a collection of notes and complex riffs thrown together in order (many other technical acts are guilty of this type of song construction).  The drums and guitar really groove and weave together well, making each track feel more organic than contrived.

I don't want to downplay the technicality of this release, though, because the songs on here are very intricate.  Joe Haley effortlessly blends chord progressions with elaborate fills that connect his riffs together.  His legato playing style is, in my opinion, developed to its highest level yet on The Inherited Repression.

Unmasking the Traitors

This song really gives the listener a good example of Joe Haley's signature legato guitar style.

Dave Haley's drumwork is also superb and his skills are put on display well here.  What separates his playing from that of many other drummers in the genre is his variety and flow.  Haley doesn't constantly lay down blast beats and ridiculously fast double bass play (although these aspects are present at times, as they should be on a death metal record).  He alternates between a mixture of different styles instead of just blasting his kit as fast as humanly possible.  Interesting cymbal work, alternately slow and fast-paced beats, and varied tom fills can all be found throughout the record.  "From Scribe to Ashes" is a good example that highlights Dave Haley's variations:

From Scribe to Ashes

The bass is not very prominent on this record, but in the end, this doesn't detract from the quality of the release.  Cameron Grant's bass work provides a solid backdrop to some heavy and groovy riffs but isn't featured as much as some other technical death metal acts, like The Faceless or Anata.

The vocals on this record are interesting in that they bear little resemblance to Psycroptic's earlier works, such as The Isle of Disenchantment (2001) and Symbols of Failure (2006).  They aren't classic death metal vocals, but are a closer kin of modern thrash metal records.  In any case, Jason Peppiatt makes it work and delivers a great vocal performance on The Inherited Repression.

In conclusion, Psycroptic has proven their worth yet again as one of the most interesting technical death metal bands in the world.  I predict this album will be one of the best death metal records to drop in 2012 and it will certainly be blasting through my speakers for months to come.  You owe it to yourself to listen to The Inherited Repression.  What are you waiting for?!

Final Rating: 10/10

MASTERPIECE

3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Carriers of the Plague, Unmasking the Traitors, Deprivation

Honorable Mention: Every other song on the album...