Purple alien? Check. Weird amoeba-tree hand? Check. Organic headphones? Check. Things are about to get weird.

But before that, some tech and tech byproducts:

• Irreversible Mechanism came pretty much out of nowhere with an awesome debut last year, and it sounds like they’re already almost done writing the follow-up. Check out a short video of some new riffs right here, and jam their debut if you missed it.
• Speaking of killer debuts, tech/prog newcomers Deviant Process have an album due out next Friday. Give “Unconscious” a listen and drop a preorder at PRC if the monstrous tune strikes your fancy.
• Supergroup Equipoise have a new song up here, and it’s sounding mighty fine. The lack of a real drummer is a bit disappointing, but it otherwise stands up to each member’s impressive pedigree.
• Entheos gave us an excellent EP last year (nearly topping MoshOff’s top 10 list), and a new full-length is nearly here. The Infinite Nothing will be out on April 1st, with a new tune you can listen to right here. It sounds like the band will be exploring more of the tech-death side of their sound on this one, which is a good thing in my eyes (ears?).
• I don’t know much about Taiwan’s metal scene, but Emerging From the Cocoon make me want to dig into it. Their debut album, Lucifugous Moth, can be streamed in full on their Bandcamp. Give it a listen if you’re in the mood for something monstrously heavy.
• Vektor have unleashed the first track from their upcoming album Terminal Redux (due out May 6th). Check that out here and bang your heads with me.
• If Deformatory and/or Imperium are your thing, then don’t miss out on Resurrection. They just dropped their first album, Betrayed By God, and you can listen to the title track now.
• Prog-death unit Ordinance put out an album when nobody was looking. Stream The Ides of March at their Bandcamp for some absolutely stunning musicianship.
• We are long overdue for a new Decrepit Birth record. Fortunately, the band realizes this; bassist Sean Martinez has finished his tour with Decapitated and has finished tracking bass so he can get onto more important things, like riding a hoverboard and juggling fire.

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It’s not often that I dedicate an entire post to a single EP, but sometimes I’ll find something that demands my undivided attention. Rebirth: The Journey Through Soil is such an EP. The Georgia trio brings a fierce but elegant sound to the fold, with a splash of prog. The Hannes Grossmann influence is very apparent here, with smart song structure, creative interplay between the guitar parts, and (naturally) awesome drums. It all comes together in a pleasantly organic way, too; the music has clearly been practiced to death, but the human element hasn’t been stripped away in production. This album is a pleasure to listen to even independently of the music, if that makes any sense.

As previously mentioned, Proliferation is a trio. That generally doesn’t work out well with tech death; the music tends to largely rely on counterpoint and guitar harmonies to fill space. However, Proliferation doesn’t fall into this trap. While there are parts written with two guitars, it doesn’t feel empty if you remove one from the equation. The bass also does an impressive job of filling space. The bass lines rest largely in the middle range of the instrument, keeping both the bottom end secured and giving a solid foundation for when the guitar flies off in a ripping solo. The sound never feels incomplete, a notable feat for a tech death trio.

Going back again to the bass, I have to say that this album features some of my favorite fretless (well, fretless as far as I can tell) playing in some time. Closing track “Awakening” is probably my favorite, due in no small part to the weird, atonal bass slides present throughout. That’s not to say that it’s the only element that makes the song, of course; the guitar uses monstrous, sinister chords and harmonics to great effect, and I love the speedy drum parts below the slow riff. It all comes together perfectly, and I believe it’s the best showcase of the uniqueness of the band’s sound.

Rebirth: The Journey Through Soil is out now via Bandcamp. Check them out on Facebook and tell them the Turlet sent you.

That’s all for now, and until next time,

Stay Tech