Acephalix is awakening again.
After five years of silence, the American band created in 2007 and composed of Daniel Butler (vocals, Vastum, Draghkar), David Benson (drums, Depressor), Adam Camara (guitar, ex-Fiend), Erika Osterhout (bass, Chthonic Deity, Necrosic) and Adam Walker (guitar, Iron Noose, ex-Fog) announces the release of Theothanatology, its fifth album, on 20 Buck Spin.
The album opens with Theothanatologist, a track with roots in the band’s Crust past. Riffs are effective, energetic and very straightforward, allowing vocal parts to get easily integrated to the motivating blast while the harmonics offer dissonant tones just like on Godheads and its aggressive sounds. The dirty mix and the screamed choruses allow the band to continue to exploit their Hardcore elements while also placing some Old School Death Metal-oriented elements before Abyssal kicks things off with some catchy patterns. There are also some softer lead parts which contrast with the ambient chaos, then Portmortem Punishment returns to pure aggression fed with jerky riffs. The track will sometimes slow down towards the end to let the guitars express themselves before going back to the assault by leading us to Innards of Divinity and its disturbing sounds. The ghostly voices in the background and the Death/Doom influences make the track heavy without erasing rage, then raw patterns continue with Pristine Scum and its heady leads. The track can still count on a solid rhythmic basis to let its madness run free, just like on Defecated Spirit and its efficient riffs, accompanied by the motivating or scary vocal parts. The album closes with Atheonomist, the last track, which takes advantage of being longer than the others to spread Old School influences which will end up choking in saturation before this final energetic explosion.
Acephalix‘s sound has evolved, but we feel that their Death Metal keeps their old influences. With Theothanatology, the band shows us that their absence has allowed them to create effective and catchy riffs we can easily listen to.
75/100