Hey there tech fiends, it's that time of the week again. Before we dive into today's focus, here's the usual reminder that if you're looking for more sick music, all prior editions of this series can be perused here.
I first heard Florida natives Estuarine in 2015 when they released their second album, Lucid/Entheogen. That record came out of nowhere and really stood out as an impressive effort that I still find myself spinning even now. I’ve been eagerly awaiting a follow up ever since, and now it’s finally arrived with the quite recent January 1st release of the projects third full-length, Sic Erat Scriptum.
Unorthodox, unusually eclectic for this style, and progressive is probably the best descriptors to zero in on when discussing the group's music. The short blurb listed on the Bandcamp page for the release describes Sic Erat Scriptum as “Over an hour of extreme technical psychedelic brutality with a full production and unorthodox song structures.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, though I’d also state that Estuarine’s approach to tech-death is certainly filtered through a sieve of mathcore, black metal, and grindcore influences that add a sense of chaos, bleakness, and unpredictability to the music.
At the same time, the progressive influence is wielded not only in the sprawling songwriting approach, it also extends into the albums frequent calming atmospheric passages that counterbalance the overall full-throttle and brutal sensory assault that Sic Erat Scriptum is built upon. The songwriting here is what steals the show and makes this so great, the short songs steamroll over you with glee, and the albums longer songs, of which there are several, provide the core of the albums brilliance in a non-linear format that each takes many listens to fully unpack. With the albums last two tracks, “Choir of Infinity” and title track closer “Sic Erat Scriptum” being the longest and most dense offerings here, clocking in at just over 25 minutes total between them.
Sic Erat Scriptum is a highly creative and richly layered album that doesn't really sound like anything else out there. Group’s like Estuarine are boldly enlarging the scope and quality of what’s possible to achieve as a one-man band in the tech-death sphere. Ambitious, unique, and off the beaten path, Sic Erat Scriptum is a dense and challenging release with a lot to offer. You can follow Estuarine over on their Facebook Page.
