Tech Death Thursday: Decipher and Mortifica
Giant purple space face? That can only mean one thing: Tech Death Thursday is back!
Some news tidbits:
- Phil Tougas has joined yet another band, now lending his talents to Equipoise, and it sounds like we can probably expect a new album from them sometime in the near future.
- Samskaras, featuring members of Unhuman and Derelict, have released a new song. As expected, it kicks ass. Look for Asunder on Jan 20th
- If you like it when tech is brought to ridiculous extremes, then check out “Aligot,” a new song from Interpreter. Think Brain Drill or Vimana with breakdowns.
- Brain Collapse just released a new version of their song “III” off their last EP, Shred it ’till you make it, now retitled “Cotard Delusion.” The vocals aren’t particularly dynamic, but they do give the song some added (and appreciated) texture.
I generally try not to ride the djent train around these parts too often, I feel like Decipher are different enough to warrant some time in the spotlight. The Luxembourg quintet has midpaced, tight, staccato chugging at the core of their sound, but they use it as a vehicle to explore a variety of ideas. Rather than focusing on it, it’s used as either an anchor for headier fretboard navigation or as a stepping-off point for other more complex riffs. As a whole, it reminds me of a slower, mellower Kardashev, mixing ethereal clean guitars with their heavier riffs for some cool atmospheric effects. “Liquid Pain” and “Slave of the Chapter” go in a more traditionally death metal direction, and closer “L’or Bleu” unites the effort in a solid conclusion.
As Intuition went on, I couldn’t help but think that the band would benefit from dropping the chugs in favor of further developing the ideas presented on the latter half of the album. They’re able to make it work- as previously stated, they use those riffs more as a backdrop for other ideas- but it doesn’t feel necessary. That style of riffing has its place and can be good when used as a short break, but it feels like a crutch when they’re overused- which, towards the beginning of Intuition, they are. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but Decipher are good enough songwriters that they don’t need to lean back on it as heavily as they do. Nevertheless, Intuition is a solid debut, and it makes me excited to see how the band continues to develop their sound.
On the complete opposite end of things, we have Mortifica, the tech death band for people who don’t like tech death. Sonically, Atrocious Autopsy has more in common with pure death metal acts than other tech bands. Everything from the dark textures to the generally chaotic feel of the album screams old school, but there’s a lot of complexity beneath its ugly exterior. The band moves at a dizzying pace; the drums have a rabid intensity to them, and the guitars tear through spiraling riffs with surprising precision. The solos lend themselves well to that old school feeling, sounding more like something you’d hear from Morbid Angel than an act like The Faceless. There’s a hint of brutal death metal in the mix as well, a bit along the lines of last year’s Cognitive record.
Atrocious Autopsy is an excellent album that fills an often overlooked space in the world of technical death metal. It’s unabashedly gritty, a foul anomaly in an otherwise pristine landscape. I’d like to see more bands doing this sort of thing, bringing a more technical bent to traditional death metal. If you’re into death metal of any sort, don’t skip out on this one.
Decipher and Mortifica can be found at their respective Facebook pages, so swing by and tell them the Toilet says hello. You can find their albums at the Bandcamp links above; pick one up if you like what you heard. That’s all for this week, and until next time,
Do you have a band you would like to see featured? A new release we should keep an eye on? Or maybe you want to do some writing yourself? Then email us at techdeathtovh@gmail.com and make your voice heard!
