Canadian tech / prog death metal act Apogean has announced the details of their inaugural full-length, Cyberstrictive, scheduled for March 8, 2024 via The Artisan Era physically (vinyl, CD) and digitally. Marking the debut with the new vocalist Mac Smith (who recently served as the live vocalist of Decrepit Birth), the upcoming album poignantly explores the dark side of technology, shedding light on its poisonous effects on our lives. 

As the first preview of the album, the genre-defying Toronto-based group is currently streaming “Thousand-Yard Glare”, which accompanies an action-packed music video to visualize the song’s theme. 

Apogean informs: “‘Thousand-Yard Glare’ is a story of the damage of overconsumption and the dangers of desensitization in media. The general populace, on a daily basis, is bombarded with endless electronic stimulus, which drastically affects every aspect of our lives and induces a pseudo-PTSD via photo-radiation. This track is incredibly important to us for a multitude of reasons. Being our first single from our debut album, we feel that we had to best represent our musical style, while also encompassing a theme that we genuinely care about; we feel that this offering absolutely conveys Apogean to its most intrinsic roots.”

Apogean is a five-piece band from Toronto, Ontario, seeking to transcend metal’s traditional realms with their musical machinations. Drawing inspiration from a broad spectrum of artistic influences, this Canadian ensemble is set to embark on an unending journey, exploring the intersections of progressive metal, technical death, deathcore, and blackened death, positioning themselves at the forefront of heavy music’s ever-evolving landscape. 

Despite their recent formation, Apogean features members bringing years of honed skills, diverse collaborations across genres, endorsements from leading musical instrument brands, and notable ventures into video game collaborations and licensing original compositions featured on ESPN. Their debut EP, Into Madness, was released in June 2021 through Blood Blast distribution, with mixing and mastering from renowned metal producer Zack Ohren (The Faceless, All Shall Perish, Immolation).

Cyberstrictive, the debut album, is Apogean’s first venture with the new vocalist Mac Smith, known for his involvement in various projects and recent stint as the live vocalist for Decrepit Birth. Beyond his vocal responsibilities, Mac, with a background in managing notable metal bands, also independently oversees the management of Apogean.

Across ten songs, Cyberstrictive discloses the dark aspects of technology, taking a broader look at its impact on our minds, bodies, and souls. Drawing significant inspiration from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and echoing the dystopian excerpts of George Orwell’s 1984, the album explores the hazards of modern technology, covering risks such as sensory damage, psychological trauma, desensitization, information paradoxes, predatory practices targeting children, addiction complexities, and the erosion of creativity. Ultimately, the album culminates in a reflection on overarching manipulation and concludes by addressing the burdensome aspects of technology, employing wordplay and metaphor to illustrate the overwhelming drawbacks outweighing the benefits in the modern digital world.

Tracklisting:

"Bluelight Sonata"
"Thousand-Yard Glare"
"Distance (Of Walls And Wails)"
"With Which Ear You’ll Listen"
"Imposter Reborn"
"Within The Bounds Of A Simile"
"Hueman (The Pleasure Of Burn)"
"Polybius"
"Spinthariscope"
"An(t)imus"

Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.