Technical Death Metal – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Ethereal Rot -Ethereal Rot

Thechopstickdrummer

A TECHNICAL DEATH METAL BAND FROM MAINE! I REPEAT, A TECHNICAL DEATH METAL BAND FROM MAINE! How merry can I be! If each of the 50 states contested to see which was most lucrative for extreme Metal music, Vacationland would run sobbing to the nearest blueberry field as California, Florida, and New York fill the podium, all hosting greatly influential Metal movements. To demonstrate the unexpectedly bloodthirsty nature of New England’s northernmost region comes Ethereal Rot, a dissonant Death Metal collective from Portland. Ethereal Rot is releasing their debut full-length record next month, presenting a refined group shaped by on-the-road seacoast slaughterfests and combinations of the bandmates’ past stylings–almost every member hails from former projects spanning power Metal to Metalcore. This debut marks an exploratory thematic shift for the group, demonstrating that Ethereal Rot can withstand the harsh climates of both their state and their industry.

Sallow Moth – Hydrophilous Brood

Metalcatto

I was under the assumption that Sallow Moth was a Prog-Death band, so when I dove into Hydrophilous Brood, I paid no attention to that album title. That clearly says this thing eats children for breakfast and puppies for lunch. However, it wasn’t exactly easy to categorize. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to try today. I’ll say one thing: you can feel the ambition this band has even before you click play. But enough talking. Let’s start.

Archspire – Too Fast Too Die

Metalcatto

Full disclosure: I’m a huge Archspire fan, but Too Fast Too Die didn’t catch me right away. That’s why I’m late to this review. Let’s face it, the band could easily fight for the title of fastest Metal band in the world. Heaviness is a more subjective scale, but when it comes to pure speed, it’s hard to make it crazier without triggering then precedence effect. Hence, with a strange level of excitement and wariness, I dive into this meth trip of an album.

Cognizance -In Light, No Shape

Metalcatto

If you’ve been following MER for a while, you might suspect that Willowtip Records has bribed us into submission. But first, no Metal label has that kind of money, and second, they just make good records. What can we do? So, yes, I expect Cognizance to hit harder than a tomahawk missile—oh, too soon? Anyway, In Light and No Shape is supposed to knock us out on our buttholes. Let’s see.

Alkaloid – Bach Out of Bounds

Metalcatto

The shreddiest band in town is back. Alkaloid has never subscribed to the philosophy that less is more. If a song can unleash a barrage of every conceivable riff, why hold back? Yet its latest project, Bach Out of Bounds, showcases the band attempting something notably different—a more academic and classical approach. This is arguably the closest the band has ever come to crafting an acoustic album. I understand how that description might sound dreadful to some, but don’t stop reading, because things are about to get interesting.

Eximperitus – Meritoriousness of Equanimity

Metalcatto

I don’t know what Willowtip Records is cooking most of the time, but somehow they keep delivering. So when Eximperitus – Meritoriousness of Equanimity (what does that even mean?) landed in my mailbox, for once I actually had expectations. I knew next to nothing about the band, and judging by the lack of noise around them, this still feels like a fresh act in an already hostile scene. Fearing I might be getting ahead of myself, I dove into uncharted territory hoping to find gold—like a proper colonialist—but enough context, let’s start the plunder.

Wayd – Reinvent

Metalcatto

As the year winds down and I clean our mailbox of lost hopes and dreams, I try to rescue a few things from the junk pile. Wayd is a band that has existed almost as long as yours truly. That usually means one of two things: a great history of success, or a long series of tragic events that stopped the project for years. Sometimes, of course, you get both. Anyway, I’m not entirely sure where Reinvent will fit into this story, but let’s see if the album was worth my dive into the mud. Fingers crossed.

Fallujah – Xenotaph

Metalcatto

I’ve been a Fallujah fan ever since Nomadic, then saw it grow with The Harvest Wombs, reach perfection with The Flesh Prevails (the remastered version that we reviewed, of course!), and finally fall into decadence and collapse with Dreamless and Undying Light. However, Empyrean was a return to form, so I’m honestly stoked to listen to Xenotaph—knowing full well the risk of getting all my hopes and dreams destroyed again is very real. But hey, I’m ready for the pain.

Rivers Of Nihil – Rivers Of Nihil

Stargazer Scholar

Believe it or not, I became a Rivers Of Nihil fan before Owls. Yes, yours truly is a Monarchy convert. The American Extreme Progressive Metal act started out in the atmospheric Tech-Death realm, yet the subsequent inclusion of saxophones and clean vocals made their third album, Where Owls Know My Name, blow up. And well-deserved. But my own relationship with the band began a few years prior, when I was taken aback by the sultry density of the sophomore. The musicians themselves may have gone on record lamenting the underwhelming reception of their second opus, but its importance for the band’s discovery of its own identity is hard to overlook. The Owls I have already referred to, and 2021’s The Work brought along further exploration, as the Rivers flowed into even more experimental waters. I hope you’re feeling as hyped for the 2025 self-titled album as me then, as you never really know what to expect with this talented bunch. Where to now? Was the band able to get over the departure of the lead vocalist? Will we get our sax again? Ah, so many questions.

Diabolizer -Murderous Revelations

There’s a dark place in my heart reserved for Turkey’s Diabolizer. You see, it was the first album I ever purchased on Bandcamp. Despite Brutal Death Metal being one of Metal’s most monotonous subgenres, I was blown away by the sheer evil and violence of Khalkedonian Death. It hit that perfect sweet spot between technical prowess and heinous brutality. It’s felt like forever, but now Murderous Revelations is here—and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried the band might just end up being another Hyperdontia copycat. But could that really be true?