Avulsed - Phoenix Cryptobiosis

Avulsed is a death metal band from Spain, who formed in 1991.  Their latest album, “Phoenix Cryptobiosis,” is their eighth full-length album; they have also released numerous splits, EPs, compilations, and demos.  

This album was somewhat of a surprise for me because I, stupidly, didn’t even know the band was still active.  Regardless, this is their first full-length since 2016 so maybe I can be forgiven for not keeping up.

The wait was worth it because this album is the fucking balls. It doesn’t really change the game for themselves or the genre but Avulsed  have long since been one the most most consistent and reliable bands in extreme metal and there is something to be said for that!

Besides, Avulsed has never been a band to shy away from incorporating more than just death metal into their music.  There are thrash and melodic passages sprinkled throughout the album so it still sounds fresh for a band this far into their career.  

The production on the album is surprisingly clear for what the band is used to putting out but I don’t find it to be a bad thing.  The classic old-school death metal tone on the guitars/bass is ever present and the production just gives more clarity to the punishment they dish out.

The opening song is the instrumental “Limbs Regeneration,” and it’s a fitting introduction to the rest of the album.  Stark keys open the song up slow-paced but sweltering riffs.  The double bass pounds very meaty—really good stuff here.  

“Lacerate To Dominate” is the first full-length song, beginning with slight usage of melody over the riffs.  The quick gallops of the double bass accent them perfectly.  As Dave’s gurgling growls push through the hellish atmosphere, the song speeds up with tight, crisp snare hits leading the way.  The chorus is catchy—it’s hard to deny the power of that massive groove!   The guitar solo has an unique flavor to it, a little ethnic and melodic but it fits into the song well.

“Guts of the Gore Gods,” is an insane name for a song but the song itself is insane so it works out.  The riffs are tight as fuck, some of the best on the album.  The song moves from groove, to slower tempos, to speedy attacks in a smooth way without sounding too disjointed.  Dave gives one hell of a vocal performance too.  The bass has moments where it pops up from behind the guitars–wonderful little details like this keep the album exciting. 

The title track is up next—at this point, I’m about halfway through the album and it still sounds great. It’s around 45 minutes in length which is in the sweet stop for OSDM and I never had time to feel bored.  The title track is one of the best on the album too so it has a really smart placing in the tracklist.  My favorite part is the solo—just crazy and mind bending enough without going overboard and it segues into a mid-paced passage that carries the song into even more awesome riffs.

The band keeps the intensity up, saving one of the most brutal songs, “Dismembered,” for near the end.  The atmospheric is sulphuric and it has very smart usage of melody to help heighten that.  The drums give their all and compliment the song with infectious ferocity.  The last 40 seconds or so is all brutal atmosphere, the band at the height of song’s prowess.

The final song, “Wandering Putrid Souls,” is another banger and I can’t think of a better song to end the album on.  The guitars/bass and drums seem like they are in a race against each other, such is their speed and guile. A lot of headbanging riffs and groove laden bass is to be found within the five minute run time—I bet this song would be a monster live!

Avulsed are legendary for a reason and “Phoenix Cryptobisis,” is yet another display of that reasoning.  What you see is what you get with Avulosed and this album find the band embracing that notion and being very comfortable in their rotten, filthy skin. 

Rating:  Excellent