Cephalic Carnage

Those interested in extreme metal always keep one eye nervously on Colorado’s Cephalic Carnage. One of the most experimental and adventurous bands in the underground grind scene, Cephalic have eliminated most of their stoner-influenced meanderings that somewhat marred Lucid Interval two discs back and gained a bit of the vitality that the last, Anomalies, was somehow lacking. With Xenosapien, the band’s fifth full-length, they jump right back into the technical grindcore frenzy, with added focus on simply making one fucking heavy disc. Maybe it was the addition of new bassist Nick Schendzielos, but in tracks like the really left-field "Divination & Volition” and hyper-speed tech-thrash-fest "Touched by an Angel,” the band are coming up with new ways to bend strings and minds all at once with a silly amount of energy. Opener/statement of intent "Endless Cycle of Violence” finds the guys doing what they do best — combining light speed technical grind with slower grinding doom — and it sets the tone for the rest of the album. They’re still hitting the bongs a bunch, as "G.lobal O.verhaul D.evice” shows with its slugging tempo and brief dips into lounge jazz, and it’s all delivered with a pristine production sound that brings out the excellent drumming and never-ending supply of unique riffs. The band’s most solid disc since Exploiting Dysfunction, and more proof, as if needed, that they’re kings of the heap.