EMBODIMENT - Palingenesis
June 23, 2020, 4 years ago
(Independent)
UK-based technical death metal crew Embodiment aren’t messing around on second full-length Palingenesis, the record a shiny, perfect example of technical DM circa 2020. Your mileage may vary, given the deathcore leanings and melodic flourishes; me, I kinda like the sum of the parts, even if I’m not as sold on some of those individual descriptors. But, man, a song like late-album gem “Sanctuary” kinda brings it all together, like a band on Unique Leader covering Cynic.
I find the overall atmosphere here lighter and easier to swallow than a band delivering just brutal or just tech death metal for a whole album: Embodiment’s willingness to mix things up, and the flow and grace with which they do so, makes for a smooth listen. My complaint is a pretty obvious one: there’s not much here in the way of songs, or in the way of music that really resonates and has a reason to become a huge part of my soundtrack for 2020. However, closing track “Harvesting The Seeds Of Vengeance” literally ends on a riff that is actually an earworm, hinting at what this band might be capable of next time around.
