GRENOUER

I've had the chance to review some of the band's past releases, and I've already become a loyal fan, since not that many acts in russia play unconventional death metal. But even in my most optimistic fantasies, could I have expected such a powerful album?! Over the past year, band members have regularly promised to surprise their fans with "unprecedented" prowess, power, and sound quality, boasting about foreign studios -- but every band does that, and everyone calmly accepts it as a standard promotional pitch. Well then, hats off to the guys: they didn't deceive and they didn't disappoint. Already on the second track (the first being an intro), the band makes a bold claim to leadership in domestic techno death metal. A track of astonishing clarity and power, it unmistakably hints at the band's aspirations to play not only with technical precision but with maximum ferocity. So fierce and relentless that even fans of brutal death metal won't be left disappointed. The guitars are juicy, heavy, and meaty; the vocals are harsh and forceful; the rhythm section is precise and uncompromising. That said, there is still more of that elegant, intricately layered complexity, braininess, and convolution -- technicality prevails and rules on this album. Compared to previous releases, the sound quality has improved significantly. It is simply flawless, and through this flawlessness, previously hidden nuances and shades of the st. petersburg band's magnificent music are revealed to the listener. An astounding album with no shortcomings, and I'm almost afraid to wonder whether the band will ever be able to create something even better...