January did not have many Technical Death Metal releases, thus the new albums/EPs from underrated bands are finding its way to people's radar. Phreneticis is a newly formed two member Tech-Death band from Lisbon, Portugal. They have just dropped their debut EP "Maze of Time'' and we can’t help but talk about it.
The album opener “Sunken” begins with a catchy intro and a drum filler. The song channelizes Tech-Death riffs in a groovy and catchy way, adding some cheesy lead sections on top. Halfway through the song we have a guitar solo with melodious phrasings. Later half features some Opeth-y riff sections. An almost 7 minutes track, this one slowly grows onto you. “Halved Corpse” features some memorable riff sections in the style of Alustrium and Obscura. A progressive touch can be seen in the clean section midway, followed by a Bass solo on top of that. “Haunted Temple” features dissonant riffing, switching over to a more jazzy and progressive soundscape by the halfway, switching back again to its powerful guitar sections. A bit thrashy on drums, “Kingdom of Isolation '' switches between the thrash realm and groovy progressive death domain sealessly. The album closure “Maze of Time” is a Tech-Death riff goldmine. From the intro riff itself being technical as fuck, to many headbanging moments throughout the song, this is a gem for all the Death Metal nerds!
“Maze of Time” features some complex musicianship on each instrument, but it is somehow easy to grasp for the listener, something which Alustrium has mastered. The guitar solos do not sound too technical or mind-numbingly boring, being melodious with just the right amount. The drums and bass do a lot of heavy lifting, shaping the songs in the way they are. The songs range from five minutes to seven minutes, giving a total track-length of 27 minutes and all the runtime is perfectly justified! All we can do now is wait for what Phreneticis drops next.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Website: Phreneticis
Genre: Progressive Death Metal, Technical Death Metal
FFO: Alustrium, Obscura, Fractal Universe
Worldwide Release: January 21st, 2022.
