Demented Heart – Frantic Epidemic
Release Date: 26th May 2023
Label: Brutal Mind
Pre-Order
Genre: Death Metal, Technical Death Metal.
FFO: Arsis, Hate Eternal, Obscura, Necrophagist, Spawn of Possession.
Review By: Carlos Tirado
I love Tech death. I’m a fan of the German, Swedish, and Canadian scenes. I’ve seen many of these bands live and own their work, but I’ve had very little exposure to the Indonesian scene. I knew it had been gaining relevance every year, and now I finally had the opportunity to explore it further. When I listened to Frantic Epidemic‘s first song, I was filled with excitement! It transported me back to the old days of tech death. This entire album draws heavily from bands like Necrophagist and Spawn of Possession. It’s almost like a tribute to them. I can’t believe I’ve lived long enough to experience retro-Tech death. Impact of Chaos and Abnormal Funeral are particularly outstanding tracks that showcase the immense talent of these musicians.
Frantic Epidemic‘s sound is heavily riff-driven, with the guitar work relentlessly attacking the listener with typical tech death picking. The vocals on this album remind me of Obscura but adjusted appropriately for death metal rather than being too Death-like. In my opinion, the standout track on the album is Population Decline. It features numerous wild changes and enjoyable sections that kept me engaged until the end. It also includes the only significant clean sections on the album, although I wish there were more of them. Frantic Epidemic could benefit from greater contrast. You may have noticed that I haven’t highlighted as many songs as usual, and that’s because at times it’s difficult to distinguish one song from another. The album is consistent to the point where all the songs sound similar. A bit more variety would enhance the album, considering these guys are incredible musicians. They can offer all the intense riffs you love without them becoming a riff salad, which is positive, of course. However, the downside is that they start to feel somewhat repetitive after a while.
Nevertheless, the most significant issue here is the mix. The volume was so loud that I had to load the tracks into Audacity to check their dynamic range, because I couldn’t believe my ears. I could, however, believe my eyes. The waveform was flatter than a Swedish pancake (you can google it, it looks sad!). I wouldn’t have a problem with that if it weren’t for the fact that the drums sound buried and weak compared to the guitars and vocals. The bass is also difficult to discern except in some isolated sections, where it finally gets a chance to shine a bit more. I believe this issue arises from my expectations of Tech death having crazy bass sections, whereas Frantic Epidemic takes a more traditional approach in that regard.
Overall, if you’re a fan of 2000s Tech death and want to explore a more modern take on it, Demented Heart offers exactly that. It’s an enjoyable ride that will make time fly by, if you’re willing to overlook its shortcomings.
(3 / 5)
