Biolich

As death/grind almost by definition requires little deviation from a certain formula, it can be extremely difficult to master the style without becoming faceless and uninteresting. However, it can also be just as difficult to diversify within the genre’s confines, as Biolich’s debut EP demonstrates. Having spent time on the road with brutal death heavy hitters Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition, Internal Suffering and Copremesis, Biolich are clearly no strangers to keeping it brutal, and their performances on this disc bear a confidence and credibility difficult to muster when confined by the "metalcore” label. Unfortunately for the purists, Biolich experiment heavily with a variety of alternate approaches, including full on electronica, progressive tech metal à la Between rhe Buried and Me, and a solid two or three minutes of mosh-tacular 7 Angels 7 Plagues worship. While these tangents will no doubt ward many away, they also give the release a sense of depth and character far too often missing from recordings of this kind. While they are still far away from combining these contrasting elements effectively, it’s nice to see a genuine death metal act not afraid to explore uncharted waters, as opposed to a hardcore band striving for half-hearted brutality.