Outer Heaven – Infinite Psychic Depths (Relapse)
Monday, 24th July 2023
Five years went by since Outer Heaven’s debut LP Realms of Eternal Decay came out and it sure felt like the band stocked enough riffs for their next festering death metal offering, Infinite Psychic Depths. Indeed, this record has enough riffs that would fill up other band’s entire discography. It’s easy to throw around the adjective “Lovecraftian” these days but this record really deserves that accolade.
Reading the press kit alone is enough to spark interest in the album: Infinite Psychic Depths traces Realms of Eternal Decay’s backstory by starting off with a Big Bang-like incident and the creation of amorphous souls, which eventually take physical form that populate then ravage their newly created environment. This, in turn, unleashes a disease, the infection of which sends victims into a violent fugue state and drug-like psychosis. The plague spreads until information is revealed on how to stop the contagion in its tracks. All the while, the new world’s omniscient, original creators are angered at what’s become of their gifted environment and, as a result, destroy the wasted civilization. The remnants of that world end up as what you see on the cover of the first album. Does the record back up all that concept with worthwhile tunes? The answer is a resounding Yes!
Outer Heaven keeps one foot in traditional death metal without sounding too by-the-numbers unlike the mass of DM bands operating currently, and they have enough forward-thinking ideas to keep their brand of death metal fresh and inspiring. Highlights include the 1st single “Rotting Stone/DMT” and “Starcrusher” with their disorienting riffs that’s the aural equivalent of jumping into an industrial grinder. Whiplash-inducing tracks such as “Liquified Mind” and “Pallasite Chambers” has got incredible soaring riffs and tectonic plate-shifting grooves that makes their forebears like Cannibal Corpse proud of what death metal has achieved over the last few years.
Infinite Psychic Depths is a fitting prequel (concept-wise) to Outer Heaven’s brand of cosmic horror, and you would do well to look forward for the sequel, hopefully one that won’t take another five years.
