Sowing The Seeds of Destruction

Xenosis

On one side we have old-schoolers who believe “good music” has long since come to an end; and on the side opposite, we have music-lovers who claim the “oldies” were never good in the first place, and that today’s releases are the only logical way to go. Which are you? Or are you an in-betweener?…or…is it possible you’re one o’ them open-minded individuals?

Whatever group/belief system you consider yourself a part of , I have a recommendation for you: Xenosis, and their latest release(2015)-Sowing The Seeds of Destruction.

Hailing from New Haven, Connecticut, the progressive death metal act, Xenosis, meld a multitude of elements, both old and new, into a space-y and eclectic sound that truly enraptures. Of course, the album isn’t flawless, but their overall musicianship has come a long way since their debut release, Haunted Skies(Which is also worthy of a listen or two..scope it out!). With that said, here are my thoughts on Sowing The Seeds of Destrucion.:

First off, the album is mixed very well; Every instrument is crisp and clear, including the vocals and bass. I’ve always enjoyed bodacious bass lines that stand out, and this album is full of said bodacious-ness. They’re actually AUDIBLE(and well-written). WOO!

The variety from song to song is also something worth mentioning. There’s hooks for everyone-aggressive thrash runs, crushing riffs, groovy bounce, latin-jazz oddity, and even a good amount of technicality when it calls for it. I feel they are reminiscent of old-school progressive bands like Sadist, Death, and Atheist; however, they are not merely “copycats”. They have taken that old(but good) sound and have shaped it into something interesting and unique.

It would do the album no justice for me to single out individual songs for critique, seeing as how I enjoyed every song on the album to a degree; but I will say the clean vocals in “From Flesh To Dirt” are very good, and instantly capture your attention. Also, “Rebuild, Renew” and “Czernobog Pt. 1” had to be my favorite tracks.

Release date: 28-12-2015
Reviewer: Joseph Prieto
Score: 8

Joseph Prieto

This author is no longer associated with Metal On Loud Magazine.

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