Allegaeon - Apoptosis (2019)

Riding high from their 2016 opus “Proponent for Sentience” and their countless tours, Allegaeon finally returns with new music in “Apoptosis”. Featuring eleven tracks of neck snapping Technical Death Metal, this release improves on their last effort while delivering catchy and highly memorable songs. With heavy competition from European bands, Allegaeon clearly establishes themselves as one of the premiere Technical DM outfits in the world thanks to this killer release.

The album opens with an acrobatic bass guitar line that slowly transforms into a more melodic piece in “Parthenogenesis”. This track is the perfect lead-in to the crushing “Interphase // Meiosis”, a track filled with crushing growls and very dreamy melodic passages. Blending intensely melodic passages with technically proficient acrobatics is the band’s specialty and on “Extremophiles (B)” we get treated to a good dose of it. With songs being short and direct to the point, the band’s sound is quite brutal in nature as you can hear from “The Secular Age”.

Combining crafty tempo changes, aggressive passages and ethereal melodies, “Extremophiles (A)” is one of our favorite tracks in this release. While these Technical Death Metal release can be a bit tedious and repetitive, Allegaeon easily avoids this with their superb songwriting skills, were songs like “Metaphobia” change the pace of things and deliver a bit of a Post-Metal/Post-Hardcore edge built into their blistering style. Other songs like “Tsunami and Submergence” the band plays around with different vocal styles and on “Colors of the Currents” we get a nice Spanish-like acoustic guitar completely changing the vibe and mood of the album.

Saving the most epic song for the end, “Stellar Tidal Disruption” is one hell of a musical ride that will take more than a few listens to fully digest and enjoy. As a whole, “Apoptosis” is one amazing release filled with technical brilliance paired with pummeling aggression. While clearly having their own style and brand of Technical Death Metal, Allegaeon shows their past success is no fluke and they are here to stay.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release:April 19th, 2019

Genre: Technical Death Metal

Country: USA