Back in 2016, Vale of Pnath dropped their sophomore album “II”, which went on to become one of the band’s best albums till date and is hailed by many as one of the finest records in the realm of tech-death. Fast-forward to the present day, Death Etiquette from Tennessee dropped their debut EP “III”. Promising to be technical to its core, this record has everything the tech-death nerds might be looking for. (And I can now only fathom it as probably the unofficial sequel to “II”). So without any further ado, let's get into the EP discussion!
The intro track “CORDYCEPS” is a straightforward, in your face introduction to the album with technical and intense riffing that will almost put me in a trance. This song also introduces a very unique and unorthodox production on the backup vocals which almost sounds like a vocoder and is almost prevalent throughout the entire album run-time. “EPITHET OF OPPROBRIUM” showcases a more traditional approach to the subgenre of Technical Death Metal, with melodic riffing sprinkled in between especially in the later half of the song, namely the outro where the focus shifts to groove. The vocals are of your well known distorted type, ranging from mids to low gutturals and the uniquely produced backup vocals accompanying it.
“EDEMATOUS '' starts off with a serene little clean, melodic intro which quickly transitions into hard hitting toms and clean vocals harmonized with the usual growls. This track is definitely the most melodic approach by the band in the entire album. Added spoken words near the middle leading to a beautifully constructed extreme blast beats lets you know theyre not messing around. With “WITHERING IN ABSENTIA” the band return to the more technical riffing right from the get go, with the distorted vocals and the drummer giving his all with the blasts. Definitely some modern deathcore influence on this track in some sections.
“AN EMPTY NEST” showcases some clean, classical style acoustic instrumental interlude consisting of immaculate harmonies and occasional chromaticism helping create an ambience to transition into their final song from the album. The closing track “CAUDAL AUTONOMY” opens with a lo-fi intro, while the main riff kicks in like a punch to the face. The harmonized guitar solo in the middle just adds the cherry on top of this bone crushing ending to the album, which makes you rewind the entire thing and hit play again.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/DeathEtiquette
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Worldwide Release: February 18th, 2022.
