Fresh start for Xenosis.
Nearly six years after their last release, the American band led by Sal Bova (vocals, Voidspore), Ken Bullard (guitar, Voidspore, ex-Formless), Keith Benway (guitar, Voidspore), Travers Kenney (bass), and Gary Marotta (drums) is renewing its partnership with Transcending Obscurity Records for the release of its fifth album, Hermetic Transmutation.
The band immediately plunges us into its musical complexity with Sentient Shapes, an opening track that is both aggressive and technical, oscillating between relentless yet jerky violence and compelling prog-infused dissonant touches, all topped off with bestial roars. Though chaotic, the mix works and makes us want to headbang before moving on to the equally furious and polished Prolapsed Twin Entombment, which immediately follows, driven by its devastating blast beats and searing harmonics that fill the less explosive passages. Note the robotic vocals before the massive break, then the lengthy Spore Whore takes over, offering an even more anarchic approach, multiplying the ferocious yet surprising eruptions while leaving ample room for instrumental mastery regardless of the pace, shifting, for example, from a torrent of notes to thick palm-mutes. The band gives us a breather with Engravings for Dyslexic Clairvoyants, a somewhat unsettling interlude lasting just over a minute, then moves on to Rapid Metamorphosis, another very long track that hits us hard from the very first moments and only slows down to offer us some perfectly groovy riffs, as well as a rather tense moment followed by a danceable section with jazz influences. Sea of Teeth takes over, igniting without warning, stringing together rhythm changes to strike continuously and keep us on the edge of our seats until we move on to Altar of the Hound, which aims to be both rawer and even more chaotic. While some passages are curiously melodic, others are clearly designed to throw us off and completely shatter the rhythm while showcasing its complexity, before leading us into No Longer Human, the final track which unsurprisingly will also flood us with beats, each more violent and virulent than the last, to bring the album to a spectacular close.
With dense yet meticulously crafted tracks, Hermetic Transmutation can boast of being one of this year’s least accessible releases! For Xenosis, it’s a true masterstroke that’s sure to make a splash among fans of technical musicianship.
90/100