Though much of Canada's technical death metal comes from Quebec, Archspire have been gushing out torrents of riffs from Vancouver for the better part of a decade. Relentless Mutation is their third LP, and the title itself does a fairly good job summing it up — relentless in its technicality and nearly so in its aggression. To hear for yourself, you can stream the effort ahead of its release below.
Described in our review as "a whirlwind of speedy guitar work, inhuman blasts and catchy rhythms," "Involuntary Doppelgänger" sets the pace for the six tracks that follow, while Oliver Rae Aleron's percussive vocals are the heartbeat that keep things pumping along. The stunted, staccato delivery is the most unique aspect to their sound, allowing the band to progress beyond eons of tech death, though they don't stop with the progression there, with the melodic sprinklings adding progressive passages filtered through jazz and other such fusion-appropriate experimentations.
By the time you get to the ominous melodies of closer "A Dark Horizontal," your mind — and the definition of technical death metal — has expanded, if not outright exploded.
Archspire are keeping their schedule as busy as their music, with dates booked from album release date September 22 through November 18, first with Reaping Asmodeia, then as a part of "Bloodletting North America XI," with Origin, Defeated Sanity, Dyscarnate, Visceral Disgorge and the Kennedy Veil.
You can check out their schedule, as well as a full album stream, below.
You can pre-order Relentless Mutation over here before its official release on Friday (September 22) via Season of Mist.
Tour dates:
09/22 Vancouver, BC - 333
09/23 Kelowna, BC - Munnin's Post +
09/24 Calgary, AB - Distortion Live +
09/25 Edmonton, AB - Brixx +
09/27 Winnipeg, MB - Good Will +
09/28 Minneapolis, MN - Lee's Liquor Lounge +
09/29 Sioux Falls, SD - Bigs Bar
09/30 Waterloo, IA - Eagles Club +
10/01 Denver, CO - Roxy Theater +
10/02 Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater +
10/04 Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House +
10/05 Bend, OR - Third Street Pub +
10/06 Grants Pass, OR - The Sound Lounge +
10/07 Boise, ID - The Shredder +
10/08 Spokane, WA - The Pin +
10/20 Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room *
10/21 Milwaukee, WI Club - Geribaldi *
10/22 Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge *
10/23 Westland, MI - The Token Lounge *
10/24 Toronto, ON - The Mod Club *
10/25 Manchester, NH - Bungalow *
10/26 New York, NY - Saint Vitus Bar *
10/27 Stanhope, NJ - Stanhope House *
10/29 Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall *
10/31 Spartanburg, SC - Groundzero *
11/01 Nashville, TN - Exit/In *
11/02 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade *
11/03 Houston, TX - Walters *
11/04 Tulsa, OK - The Shrine *
11/05 Dallas, TX - The Curtain Club *
11/06 Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live *
11/07 Lubbock, TX - Jake's Sports Cafe *
11/08 El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar *
11/09 Mesa, AZ - Club Red *
11/10 Upland, CA - Gideon's Hall *
11/11 San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick *
11/12 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst *
11/13 Portland, OR - Rock Hard PDX *
11/14 Seattle, WA - Studio Seven *
11/15 Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre *
11/17 Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall *
11/18 Denver, CO - The Roxy Theater *
+ with Reaping Asmodeia
* with Origin, Defeated Sanity, Dyscarnate, Visceral Disgorge, The Kennedy Veil
Described in our review as "a whirlwind of speedy guitar work, inhuman blasts and catchy rhythms," "Involuntary Doppelgänger" sets the pace for the six tracks that follow, while Oliver Rae Aleron's percussive vocals are the heartbeat that keep things pumping along. The stunted, staccato delivery is the most unique aspect to their sound, allowing the band to progress beyond eons of tech death, though they don't stop with the progression there, with the melodic sprinklings adding progressive passages filtered through jazz and other such fusion-appropriate experimentations.
By the time you get to the ominous melodies of closer "A Dark Horizontal," your mind — and the definition of technical death metal — has expanded, if not outright exploded.
Archspire are keeping their schedule as busy as their music, with dates booked from album release date September 22 through November 18, first with Reaping Asmodeia, then as a part of "Bloodletting North America XI," with Origin, Defeated Sanity, Dyscarnate, Visceral Disgorge and the Kennedy Veil.
You can check out their schedule, as well as a full album stream, below.
You can pre-order Relentless Mutation over here before its official release on Friday (September 22) via Season of Mist.
Tour dates:
09/22 Vancouver, BC - 333
09/23 Kelowna, BC - Munnin's Post +
09/24 Calgary, AB - Distortion Live +
09/25 Edmonton, AB - Brixx +
09/27 Winnipeg, MB - Good Will +
09/28 Minneapolis, MN - Lee's Liquor Lounge +
09/29 Sioux Falls, SD - Bigs Bar
09/30 Waterloo, IA - Eagles Club +
10/01 Denver, CO - Roxy Theater +
10/02 Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater +
10/04 Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House +
10/05 Bend, OR - Third Street Pub +
10/06 Grants Pass, OR - The Sound Lounge +
10/07 Boise, ID - The Shredder +
10/08 Spokane, WA - The Pin +
10/20 Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room *
10/21 Milwaukee, WI Club - Geribaldi *
10/22 Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge *
10/23 Westland, MI - The Token Lounge *
10/24 Toronto, ON - The Mod Club *
10/25 Manchester, NH - Bungalow *
10/26 New York, NY - Saint Vitus Bar *
10/27 Stanhope, NJ - Stanhope House *
10/29 Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall *
10/31 Spartanburg, SC - Groundzero *
11/01 Nashville, TN - Exit/In *
11/02 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade *
11/03 Houston, TX - Walters *
11/04 Tulsa, OK - The Shrine *
11/05 Dallas, TX - The Curtain Club *
11/06 Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live *
11/07 Lubbock, TX - Jake's Sports Cafe *
11/08 El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar *
11/09 Mesa, AZ - Club Red *
11/10 Upland, CA - Gideon's Hall *
11/11 San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick *
11/12 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst *
11/13 Portland, OR - Rock Hard PDX *
11/14 Seattle, WA - Studio Seven *
11/15 Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre *
11/17 Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall *
11/18 Denver, CO - The Roxy Theater *
+ with Reaping Asmodeia
* with Origin, Defeated Sanity, Dyscarnate, Visceral Disgorge, The Kennedy Veil