Psycroptic

Despite hailing from Tasmania, a land that must be pretty devoid of heavy music, Psycroptic bring an already impressive technical death metal past to the mainstream. Although previous releases were filled with the genre standardized chaotic, high-pitched riffage, Psycroptic have actually done something daring with their latest release: they mellowed. Now, fret not death metal aficionados, the edge is still sharp but this latest release could perhaps be best described as being more subdued, a term that should almost not exist in death metal circles. The production is slick and the inclusion of less of the higher-range, pinch-y guitar wankery makes for a way easier listen. This is a top quality album that gives a very refreshing take on the technical death metal genre. It’s still precise brutality but just pours so easily out of the speakers, which makes it something that’s way too listenable to throw in a pile of average metal albums.