Honourable Mention Number Twelve
Coma Cluster Void -
Thoughts From a Stone
Absolutely phenomenal twisted death metal. The album is divided into several tracks but it's definitely best taken in as a whole. It starts off with some modern classical strings before diving into hellish dissonance. The record is full of incredibly technical and precise playing and composition that just blows me away. There will be times when I think a part is dragging when they'll turn it on its head into some other dense and polyrhythmic concepts. There are some slower, atmospheric moments toward the end that climax before dissolving into a droning resolution. It's one of those albums that I find especially rewarding because every time I listen to it closely it still surprises me. Stylistically this is in the vein of Gorguts with the general twisted DM approach, Ulcerate with the intricate and atmospheric guitars, and Portal with their very deliberate, enveloping, chaos. The bassist comes in with some spoken word in the beginning that's a bit corny, but that's the only blemish on this maniacal masterpiece. I was a massive fan of their earlier release Mind Cemeteries, but this is on another level. Hopefully they continue that trajectory on their next release. Beautiful one-sided vinyl release for those interested in that.