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.
Right off the bat, the disturbing cover artwork of Vermine, the upcoming album from Quebec natives The Aftermath, loudly proclaims itself as a work of chaotic extremity unmoored from many of technical death metal's tropes in favor of something altogether more unsettling and unique. I'm psyched to help the group launch the first single off Vermine, the aptly titled frenetic madness known as "The Void". I was introduced to the group last year by my friend Phílíppe Čimoň who plays bass in the band but is perhaps best known as a member of almighty rising stars Deviant Process.
A group whose prior album Paroxysm I raved about and did the early stream for in this very space. While the band had a prior EP which I loved, it was Paroxysm that really put them on the map worldwide and established them as one of the best new bands in the technical death metal scene. So, given the pedigree of Phílíppe Čimoň on bass here, plus fellow Deviant Process member Stéphane Simard on guitar, I knew The Aftermath would be sick. True to form, The Aftermath likewise mines a fresh take on the style at hand, which, for The Aftermath, is quite different than Deviant Process. Strains of Mathcore, Grind, and Black Metal style dissonance are forged with intense technical death metal that runs the gamut from crushingly brutal to sophisticated shredding.
As one single sonic snapshot of Vermine, "The Void" is an excellent way to show listeners most of what the album offers, which is to say that the wide mix of styles and various elements holds true for the full release, but the mixture in which they're applied and a driving force per song, varies widely and ups the albums brilliance by doing so. If you want a ballpark of what you're getting into when you hit play below, imagine Ion Dissonance, Beneath The Massacre, and First Fragment fused with a strong Severed Savior dose of over the top twisted brutality. Supporting this grand mass of chaos are flourishes of dissonant black metal inflected grind spurts akin to Plebeian Grandstand to make it that much more of a deadly recipe for clusterfuck madness done at the highest level. Leaving you headless and pondering how to intake and explain just exactly what in the fuck you heard.
If you're digging what "The Void" has to offer, Vermine will see release on June 22nd through the always excellent PRC Music. You can pre-order Vermine through The Aftermath Bandcamp page. Be sure to follow the group over on The Aftermath Facebook page also.
