Dissentience - Kaiju

Dissentience is a melodic death/thrash metal band from Pennsylvania, who formed in 2013.  Their latest release is the EP “Kaiju.”  They have also released a demo, another EP, and one full-length so far.  

This is my first experience of the band, but this short but tight EP has convinced me that it won’t be my last.  Across four songs and a runtime of just under 24 minutes, this is a rousing blast of energetic metal that is easy to burn through multiple times.

Their Metallum tag of being melodic death/thrash is pretty damn accurate too.  It is full speed ahead most of the time, but the guitars still manage to throw in catchy, melodic passages that go a long way in fleshing out their thrash-based sound, for a full experience that is as high quality as a full-length. It’s a very modern production and I find that is what the songs need, as it makes the melodic aspects stand out yet the album feels very weighty and dense. 

The first song, “Obsidian Tomb,” opens with clean melodies, showcasing the band can offer dynamics beyond just thrashing faces off.  The song builds up nicely, steady and true without being overly rushed for time.  In a way, this is a methodical song and that makes it all the more enjoyable. The vocals are vicious and not overly deep but sharp and intelligible.  The song is goddamn heavy until the last quarter of it when the melodies come out and a catchy chorus appears.  Killer opening song.

“Chaos Absolute,” uses the lead guitar to full effect and sounds, well, chaotic, from the very first second.  The riffs on this song are killer, the guitars and bass effortlessly sliding between more intricate pieces and super chunks of thrash.  The rhythm guitar is maddening tight—just blistering to the third degree.  I like the atmospheric break in the middle because it makes the rest of the song seem even more intense.  The segment that begins at 3:26 and goes all the way through the insane solo is yet another stand out moment for the EP.

“Kaiju,” is a very immediate song that is definitely the most thrashy of the four and doesn’t let up for a second, except for a brief moment of melody in the middle.  But this part works and it doesn’t kill the energy but rather enhances it.  The pummeling riffs right after are made for headbanging and if this song is played live, people will be CRUSHED.  

My favorite song is the last one, “Death Shroud.”  It is the longest song, and the length allows the band to really settle into expanding their sound—I hope this song is a vision of things to come on their next full-length.  The long intro builds the song into a frenzy rhythm piece that is heavy on the death metal elements. The vocal cadence is catchy, and they ride on top of the hammering riffs with apparent ease despite the brutalness of it all. 

Dissentience’s “Kaiju,” is a short but extremely well written ride that uses every second wisely.  If you have a spare 24 minutes, you could do a lot worse than spin this but maybe give yourself extra time because I can promise you that you’ll be hitting the repeat button.  

Rating: Great