Dischordia – Thanatopsis (Rogue Records America)
Sunday, 6th November 2016
While technical death metal and old school death metal seem to be the way that many are gravitating in the metal world as of late, a few bands have been happy to skirt the edges and go more into their own way. Thanatopsis is Dischordia’s second full-length album and work off of the important premise that it’s not just technical ability that can impress, but how you twist and distort it into well-done songs that can resonate longer.
Dischordia play some funky, technically-driven stuff but it’s much more than that when you hear the album as a whole. They take influences from the progressive and technical avenues for sure, but their dense, bass-forward sound also draws in Meshuggah-esque grooves (“The Curator”), experimental vibes (“Bone Hive” and “The Traveler”), and more bluntly death metal tones (“The Ruin”) to create an eccentric mix. The playful bass work is indeed one of the strongest assets of the band, adding to the sound and giving it new dimensions instead of simply following around the guitars (see “An Unlikely Story”). The guitarwork, as described above, moves around from song to song with different influences coming to a head, but overall there’s a remarkable amount of flow to the album. The album ends on a high note with “The Traveler,” which takes progressive death metal elements and shows off some fun and engaging diversions, such as the bouncy gallop at around the 6-minute mark, and shows the band at their most diverse and eccentric.
Sick of the same old song and dance when it comes to extreme metal? Thanatopsis should quench your thirst with its explosive forays into a variety of different tones all while keeping death metal at the forefront of your brain. With a late release into the year, expect this one to be a sleeper hit that gains more traction as word of mouth starts to get around.
