REPLICANT - Infinite Mortality
April 10, 2024, 2 weeks ago
(Transcending Obscurity)
I absolutely love Gorguts' Obscura-and-beyond era, and so does New Jersey's Replicant, here on their third album displaying a mastery of the sorts of sounds and atmospheres that the Canadian trailblazers created out of thin air all those years ago.
Don't get me wrong, it's a lot to take in: opener “Acid Mirror” is 6:38 of difficult twists and turns and oppressive emotion, tortured vocals guiding us along the journey. But it's so rewarding, it's not just difficult like tech DM often is, it's difficult for a reason, much like Gorguts is difficult for a reason. But that song, man, it's a warning as much as it is an opener, and then you're into the blasting “Shrine To The Incomprehensible”, a masterpiece in this sort of sound, Ulcerate looking over nervously, anyone who dares to close their eyes and get sucked in surely experiencing something unforgettable.
I love the contrast of slower, four-on-the-floor sludge with razor-sharp labyrinth riffing on “Reciprocal Abandonment”, and “Pain Enduring” might be the album's most concise display of sounds, showcasing a catchy groove, of all things. Huge closer “Planet Of Skin” does everything, and does it for nine minutes, definitely an endurance test unless you're like me and can't get enough and you're just letting the music take you away to places that very, very few extreme bands can.
