Swelling Repulsion unveils its second album.
After signing to Transcending Obscurity Records, the band comprising Bage (vocals/drums/effects, Subterranean Disposition), Donovan (vocals/guitar) and Kristian Jablonicky (bass, Archetype of Destruction) announce the release of Fatally Misguided.
Although a little gloomy, the first notes of Vanquished are relatively melodic, but the atmosphere quickly changes when saturation weighs down and slows down the rhythm, while retaining hints of technicality, before accelerating on Basking In Fumes Of Failure and its tortured Old School overtones. The greasy abrasive sound perfectly fits the band’s wilder and more unpredictable approach, and Fatally Misguided follows without delay, anchoring them even further in complexity, but also in brutality, with jerky riffs that complete the aggressive touch. Sacred Doom first offers us a few more airy dissonant notes, then savagery takes over again and the track molests us with its sonic chaos, followed by the equally un-delicate Cesspool of Dismembered Memory, which picks up where the previous track left off. The composition is short but effective, and gives way to the stirring Drug Induced Anti-Logic, where the rhythmic pattern changes at every turn, shifting from eerie slowness to scathing convoluted harmonics. The sound suddenly stops, then the blast of Failure takes over, flooding us with waves of confusing notes before the long Sullen Light of Expired Stars spreads out its ocean of confusion and technicality without ever faltering or slowing down for over seven minutes.
The complexity of Swelling Repulsion is perfectly matched by its incredibly abrasive mix, which highlights the aggressive harmonics. Fatally Misguided may seem difficult to approach, but it’s still incredibly thoughtful and masterful!
80/100