In Asymmetry – Ashes of Dead Worlds
Release Date: 7th May 2021
Label: Comatose Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Technical Brutal Death Metal
FFO: Deeds Of Flesh, Brain Drill, Decrepit Birth, Disavowed.
Review By: J Morris
Upon first glance, In Asymmetry might appear as yet another brutalized band with a gratuitous, over the top album cover that you might otherwise pass by. Upon closer inspection, though, hides quite the interesting assortment of musicians; an incredible line-up of far reaching, technically proficient and musically savvy veterans.
Boasting members of Suffer in Rot, Deeds of Flesh, Goratory and the Faceless, this all star ensemble holds your hand with an iron grip, effectively guiding you headfirst into their debut release of thirty four minutes, full of incinerating textures that refuse to ever become complacent enough. But then again, what would you expect from this grouping?
Ashes of Dead Worlds functions as a hybrid of sorts. The melting pot of band members flex their muscles through a combination of extremely meticulous tech-death and blistering brutal death metal. While both styles may come across red hot, the former of which will instantly hit you as comfort food, whereas the ladder falls prey to a fatigue-inducing sense of familiarity.
Whom Prey on the Weak thrusts you into the runtime with a dramatic introduction, building very little on said theatrics, and instead nearly immediately abruptly transitioning into Artisan Era-esque riffs tag teaming alongside deep as all hell, guttural growls from Taylor Wientjes. While the construction of this opener is devilishly tight and, I’ll admit, technically impressive, I would be lying if I said it didn’t set a tone of sounds you have been very well acquainted with, both from the genres this was birthed from, as well as the bands these members originated from.
On paper, while the meeting of the minds would lead you to assume it would be fireworks, tracks like Hatred Towards the Holy Creature, In My Own Image and Likeness and Emancipation reveal a rather on the nose approach. These examples showcase some primary flaws that characterize this album between the lines: Bass work that can fade into the backdrop, slurpy vocals that become swallowed by the chaos, and discordance that shags any audibility certain key moments might pose.
Percussion takes the cake for me as the crown jewel of this album. When given a chance to breathe on, say, Forged by the Ancient Entity, they roll in like gunshots. Stellar work by Darren. As an avid follower of this style, I can also commend the production work for the MOST part. Whilst it struggles with an imbalance vocally, the general tightness of the recording can be a double-edged sword, depending on your perspective: It’s either lifeless and devoid of purpose, or mechanically wrapped enough to be ear candy.
Overall, In Assymetry’s debut has its heart in the right place, no doubt, with gorey layers of quickened riffs that blaze by at mach speed. However, it comes out the other side of said heart with an album of predictability, formulaic styles, and a disappointing lack of unique chemistry to set this project apart. For such a powerful group of musicians, I would’ve certainly wished for a heightened sense of ‘wow’ factor.
While I don’t believe these musicians are ever capable of making something rightfully terrible altogether, Ashes of Dead Worlds might scratch certain itches for the right crowd, but left me incredibly unsatiated and craving a bit more from the finer details.
(2.5 / 5)
