Tech Death Thursday: Alustrium
Hold onto your butts, people. It’s Tech Death Thursday. Today we’re talking about Alustrium, focusing on their new album, A Tunnel To Eden.
– For those of you who like your tech with a little prog, Fully Consumed are streaming their new album Incendium at New Noise Magazine.
– Breeding Filth are streaming a new song over at NCS. Check out “Pronounced Cancer” here and look for Perverse Devolution sometime this fall.
– Exterminatus have posted a rehearsal video of “Metamorphosis,” the fifth track from their upcoming album, Laniakea. Based on the album art, I suspect the full thing will be largely feature lyrics about space and space by-products.
– You’re never going to hear a new Necrophagist album. To take away the sting of that statement, here’s the newest by Raising The Veil, featuring Romain Goulon on drums. Bosonic Quantvm Phenomena will be out August 3rd.
– There’s a new Gorod song! But you can’t hear it yet if you’re in the US. Fortunately, it’s up on Youtube in guitar playthrough format right here. For the rest of the world, it’s available on Deezer, the dumbest-named streaming service in a market full of streaming services with dumb names. The full album, A Maze of Recycled Creeds, will be out sometime this fall on Unique Leader and Listenable Records.
I know Jack Bauer stopped punching terrorists long enough to highlight these guys in a mini-review last week, but I feel like they deserve a little more time in the spotlight. Alustrium are one of those bands that straddle the line between tech and melodeath, with just a splash of prog here and there. They make me think of Nevermore, had Nevermore been fronted by James Dorton (Black Crown Initiate). That isn’t to say that they are one of hundreds of bands that stand in Nevermore’s shadow. While there are some songs that have a distinct Loomis feel to them, “The Atheist Phenomenon” in particular, songs like “Slackjaw” and “My Possessor” prove that guitar duo Chris Kelly and Mike DeMaria have crafted their own unique identity as guitarists. It’s more the dour, spiteful mood the songs exude that remind me of Nevermore, even in the album’s quieter moments.
As strong as the riffs are, the soloing on this album keeps pace with them perfectly. In a genre where extreme proficiency is the norm, it’s easy for guitarists to simply shred through scales and arpeggios as quickly as possible in their solos. Alustrium do not do this. There’s certainly plenty of fast, technical playing in them, but they each feel meticulously crafted to fit the song. The solos themselves tell a story, and this song-within-a-song approach actually makes them memorable instead of just being there.
Though I could gush about the guitar work all day, I would be remiss not to mention the excellent rhythm section. The drums are relentless when they need to be and reserved where appropriate, and contain some of the best grooves in an album this year. The bass playing here is just as impressive as the guitar, particularly on the second instrumental track, “Lucid Intervals.”
If the word of one Toilet writer wasn’t enough to convince you, then take it from two. Alustrium are worth your time and attention. Both their albums are available from their Bandcamp, and their first, An Absence of Clarity, is generously name-your-price.
That’s all from me for this week, and remember:
