Atræ Bilis is a death metal band from Canada that formed in 2018. “Aumicide” is their second full-length album and they have an EP as well. In a very short amount of time and with just a handful of releases under their belt, the band has already carved their way to the forefront of the modern tech death scene.
Calling anything on “Aumicide” technical is somewhat of a disservice to the band. Not that being technical is bad but the ten songs on this album are so much more different than other tech bands.
This collection of songs are in a constant state of flux. There is a very little repetition to be found here. Each note, each riff appears, destroys the senses, then is destroyed itself. From one moment to the next the songs are built, broken down, and rebuilt again. While this could make for a challenging listen (especially for those who aren’t familiar with this style) it definitely makes for an interesting album with a lot of depth and replay value.
The element I like the most about this album is the unknown danger, the shadows that lie await in its extremity. I’m not saying death metal has gone down hill (on the contrary, I feel it has never been stronger) but “Aumicide” brings back a lot of the danger that made death metal such a force to begin with in the first place. I know this album is going to destroy me but the anticipation of how it will do just that kept me on the edge of my seat through its entire runtime.
The album opens with the instrumental, “Protoxenesis,” and it’s fury is unbridled. Most intros, in my experience, are worthless but this one successfully sets up the album.
"Hell Simulation” is a descent into madness itself, lead by the spastic vocals of Jordan Berglund. David Stepanavicius is the only guitarist and his work is outrageous–one man is doing all this, weaving these incantations together even while they break apart from each other.
By the time the song is halfway done, the rhythm duo of Luka Govednik (drums) and Miles Morrison (bass) has long since bashed my brain into powder. The sheer convocation in what they do and what they play kept me going as my mushed brain tried to register what was truly happening.
“Inward To Abraxas,” opens up with notes that seem to bend and stretch around this unseen audible reality. As it threatens to break away, the cracks are filled by the bass and drums. A constant transformation changes the song as it plays but the death vocals keep it all grounded. The middle part of the song throws in a surprising twist of murky and hellish atmospheres.
The title track is another instrumental but it is placed well in the middle of the album and very much bridges the gap between its halves.
And it leads seamlessly into “Kingdom Of Cortisol,” which sounds harrowing and hopeless from the very first second. The bass throbs and hums, an earthquake of notes that rocks the song back and forth. The drums and guitars are thick but hang back for seconds at a time just to go deeper and harder. The whole atmosphere is unhinged and a bit crooked for a truly demented song.
The final song, “Excruciate Incarnate,” is the album’s hidden weapon. Just when I thought it couldn't possibly be faster, heavier, or more insane this one comes along and turns it all on its head. The tight, choppy rhythms that arrive just after thick, dense but groovy riffs nearly knock me on my ass—-so many parts of the song seem absolutely surreal.
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