DeadSquad has somehow existed for a very long time, yet I’ve heard their name for the very first time. Certainly, a huge fan following on socials proves the band’s fan following, I was certainly sure to expect some quality material while picking from the promo. Hailing from Indonesia, the band has established a name for them in the tech-death realm. Their latest album “Catharsis” seems to be an extension of their awesome discography - and I am here to discuss about it.
The album opener “Down With The Faceless” starts off with melodic clean guitar progression with fretless bass on top, before bleeding into absolute heaviness of technical riffs and blasting drums. With some fancy pinched harmonic action and slight hint of groove, this one reminds me of “Incurso” era Spawn of Possession. Featuring Vogg from Decapitated, “21 Vultures” showcases some intense fast riffages with catchy phrasings and a groovy outro.
“Augmented Devastation” sounds like a mixture of riffage of newer Cryptopsy and grooves of Soreption - bands which are absolutely best in their league. Again, with its technical prowess, the song floats between realms of brutal death and slam. “Slave To The God of Agony” begins with fast intense moments while showly transforming into a mammoth of chuggy breakdown towards the end.
“Funeral Carnival” and “Catharsis” channelise speed of Origin while having their own touch to it. “Catharsis” is a nice blend of tech-death with slam. “Murder’ showcases a sludgy start, with catchy grooves and fast shred blasts on guitars. The album outro “Curse of The Black Plague” has all the previously mentioned facets of brutality; adding to it is a Necrophagist-y guitar solo.
In Spite of lying in the technical death-metal realm, the guitar tone on the album has a djent quality to it - in the fashion of Krosis, Soreption or Gorod. The drums on the album do much of the heavy lifting, blasting with double bass and blast beats almost throughout the album. The vocals might not be the prime listening element - yet the flawless switches between highs like Mitch Lucker to insane lows, are something to be credited! In short, February might be too early to declare for an AOTY - but “Catharsis” definitely is a contender for the best album, and certainly one of the best releases of this month.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/DeadSquadOfficial
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Worldwide Release: February 25th, 2022.
