Degenerations
by Diskord

From Mercury TOP 100 COMMENTER 09/20/2021 02:49 | #273976

(This is quite a unique metal record. Labeled Technical Death Metal, but that’s, like, only a label. This is an album that can go in directions you never saw coming and at any time. I really like it.)
A recent and very surprising trend in my music-listening is a liking of Technical Death Metal, ESPECIALLY Techdeath mixed with some sort of weird avant-garde side. This year there has already been a masterpiece in the genre with Ad Nauseam’s Imperative Imperceptible Impulse, as well as 2 near-masterpieces in the debut LPs by Atvm and Moral Collapse. And with this album we have a 4th sick tech death/avant garde album in 2021 (that I have fallen for at least).

In order to differentiate oneself in this uber-technical genre, where absurdly great musicianship blistering solos and copious mathematical switch ups and atonal experimentation is the norm, it seems you have to bring something or (things) to the table that makes me go “whoa…wait…wtf is happening?”. With this album that WTF factor is the bass…. more specifically the weird and wonderful fretless bass noodling that takes over many portions of these songs. I mean, I know I have never heard this bass sound, this watery and slippery bass sound, on an extreme metal album! Have you?

Of course that description of the bass work is selling this album (and even the badass bass work) short. There are other odd as hell and downright fascinating things that happen on this album. There are lots of gnarly guitar riffs (of fucking course!). There are cool drum parts and rhythmic switch ups and break downs (again, of course) and there are parts where a very front-and-center Cowbell rhythm comes in and, as always, the cowbell is absolutely delightful.

This brand of Technical Death Metal just has something, some attitude underpinning it that I can’t put my finger on. There is a similar vibe on Atvm’s debut Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless. Best I can describe it is a playfulness and fun inherent in the sound and heard in these band’s willingness to sort of switch up and do some strange thing completely outside of the regular conventions of this very serious and intimidating genre. With Atvm it’s getting all proggy and Jazz Fusiony out of nowhere. With Diskord on this album it’s the vocalist shifting style or putting weird noisy effects on his voice or the bassist coming in with some sideways groove in the middle of a breakdown or whatever. It’s awesome because it keeps the whole album experience engaging and fresh. Not every band has to be these serious, ominous, big-picture, atmospheric, high art types. With albums like this, we get proof that these genre labels mean nothing and you can do whatever you want with the talents you have.

In closing, this is just a fascinating, unique album, and I really like it. Listen to the track “Clawing at the Fabric of Space” if you wanna a bite-size example of the fun and fury of this album. Also check it out if want to hear a badass song.