Nothing beats a good melodeath tune, and what we’ve got today more than delivers.

Given the sheer volume of melodic tech death I’m exposed to these days, I don’t generally get excited about straight melodic death metal much anymore. Every now and then, we’ll get something that hits all the right beats perfectly, and I can’t pass up the chance to tell you about them. Enter Archaic Decapitator, a Connecticut-based melodeath group whose new single I’ve been addicted to. This is some great stuff, so let’s get right to it:

“Skyward” explodes into being in a hail of tremolo-picked arpeggios and blastbeats, transitioning into a blistering melodic riff that belies the song’s emotional core. Speedy as this opening salvo is, the band carries a lot of emotional similarities to bands like Be’lakor and Insomnium. The song’s centerpiece is an exultant chord progression accompanied by a twinkling keyboard melody; the speedy parts are just icing on the cake. Melodeath is at its best with an even mixture of musicianship and feeling, and Archaic Decapitator nails both aspects.

The Apothecary comes out April 19th; in the meantime, you can check out their previous EP’s on Bandcamp.
You can follow Archaic Decapitator on Facebook.