Soreption – Engineering the Void (Unique Leader)
Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
Many New Year’s resolutions result in a surge in gym memberships. Hopefully, you are one of those people who’ve decided they need to get back in shape and have been giving your neck the workout it needs, because Soreption is going to push you to the limit. The long-awaited follow-up to 2010’s Deterioration of Minds, Engineering the Void is the logical next step that sees the band further honing their craft, placing them at the forefront of the modern death metal movement.
Rubbing shoulders with the best that technical death metal has to offer (Spawn of Possession, Necrophagist, Gorod, Decapitated), each song is surgically precise in its execution of stop/start riffs, dizzying double bass, and surprisingly intricate yet melodic solos. The clear production further benefits the complexity of the material, though some may not go for the complete lack of an “evil” guitar tone. Three of the songs (most notably “Monumental Burden”) even give a few moments of breathing space, utilizing synths to draw in some atmosphere.
What keeps Engineering the Void from being a standard, mechanized tech-fest is Soreption’s recognition of rhythm and groove and its subsequent inclusion into each track. Just listen to the riff that picks up after the synths die down on the title track. Monstrously heavy with groove, it’s a great end to the disc that encourages another hit on the repeat button. Similar examples could be given in every song, demonstrating another of Soreption’s best qualities: In relation to many of their peers, the technical wizardry isn’t done for the mere sake of doing it, but is woven into the song to enhance it.
For only their second full album, Soreption seem to have the tech-death genre down to a science. Alongside their labelmates The Kennedy Veil, 2014 is already looking like a fine year for modern death metal. Engineering the Void will be turning plenty of heads, provided no one is suffering from a sore neck.
