Atrae Bilis – Aumicide

Written by on 11-08-2024 at 21:00.

In recent months American label 20 Buck Spin has increasingly been impressing me by releasing albums from bands of above average quality and that are sounding far from standard. I won’t list all of those releases for you again here, but as an example, allow me to mention the reviewed Maze Envy by Civerous.

Atrae Bilis is a Canadian band consisting of a quartet of gentlemen diving into brutal tech-death with their second album Aumicide. The twisted cover is enough of a reason already to become intrigued and wonder exactly what the music will be about. I won’t go into too much detail about the concept, but as far as I can gather from the accompanying press text, the lyrics deal with a person subjected to experiments to achieve the removal of all faith within him. A new era is imminent, one of egregore, where absolute godlessness will prevail. Now that’s quite an interesting conceptual premise, perfectly in line with the cover art.

Another noteworthy fact is that the digital release comes with a clear infosheet providing information about the band, the album, and, as you have read, the lyrical concept. As for the album itself, it should be appreciated by fans of Ulcerate, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Neuraxis, Beyond Creation, Gorguts, Afterbirth, Deeds Of Flesh, Dying Fetus, Decapitated and Circle of Dead Children. The tracks on Aumicide not only stand out in terms of brutality but also leave room for vocally disturbed abuse, atmospheric dissonance, technical prowess, and a plethora of distinct influences. As I have come to realize after a few listens: these Canadians aren’t easily categorized.

First off, let me say that these gentlemen are damn well capable of writing interesting songs with a solid beginning and end. There isn’t much of a build-up and breakdown momentum simply because in most cases, it’s all about raging and pounding. This doesn’t mean the band does not occasionally slow down to deliver some delightful dissonance. The vocals, by the way, are diverse, from time to time surprising with a manipulated, striking kind of vocals, personally reminding me of the sound of an extraterrestrial insect. Is it cool? Hell yes, it is executed brilliantly and not overly done, as the grunts and shrieks themselves manage to keep things interesting enough. The music itself, besides being brutal, is quite technical and doesn’t sound too recycled compared to the music of the aforementioned bands. Hence, the attention never wanes during the ten tracks clocking in at about forty minutes.

After the intro Protoxenesis the band kicks off with the frenetic, yet groovy – or rather, swinging – Hell Simulation. It’s just one of the tastes of hysterical madness the Canadians have in store for us. You will understand what I mean when the next track, Salted In Stygia, blasts through the speakers for only a minute. The pounding drums, brutal riffs (Suffocation is indeed an influence!) and quirky vocals mentioned above leave quite an impression. The peculiar effects create a tension underneath my skin that I find difficult to describe and that I definitely don’t hear in compositions of other random death metal bands. Inward To Abraxas makes me realize quickly that this is a structural feature, as this time the drummer seems to be pulling the cart with his tasty fills and tricks. The string manipulators unleash an unrelenting torrent of fat, dissonant riffs on unsuspecting listeners. And after the fourth minute, the band casually switches off with a short electronic part, only to go absolutely bonkers afterwards, primarily accompanied by wild screaming and grunting, lyrically discussing extraterrestrial life…

What a heavy rumbling fest this album is when To Snuff The Spirit Guides almost casually assaults your ears with a crazy pot of unidentifiable gore death metal. For only one minute though, as the band transitions to a more solid structure, adding piercing leads. The track is not even two minutes long yet it seems to last almost six minutes, with so much elusive dynamic force. The title track, on the other hand, is of a completely different caliber, starting off with a high-pitched, melodic guitar melody, the band taking a calmer and more expansive approach. It feels almost spiritual with the added “ohms” and accompanying cadence, serving more as an interlude here.

A Kingdom Of Cortisol prominently extends the “ohms” and sprinkles a hefty dose of gritty guitar riffs, effects, and the almost intelligible grunt-scream. The vocal madness and variation are highlighted again, while the instrumental prowess, while not unique in its genre, is delivered very effectively. The amount of space created for the raw bass guitar tones and the pulverizing drums is amazing. Monolith Aflame starts off in a calm manner only to switch quickly to the strange concoctions we have already got several tastes of on this album. The gentlemen sound intensely malevolent and let the instruments work for them to unleash a crusher of a dissonant track. Through The Hologram’s Cervix is shorter in duration but follows up with the same frenzy. The final track, Excruciate Incarnate, showcases the band at full speed one last time, with plenty of groove, escapades, and deranged lyrics like the shouted “post-mortal disappointment.”

In conclusion I want to end my review short and sweet with the following words: Atrae Bilis a name to remember, Aumicide an album to frame, were it not much better to listen to this masterpiece.

Score:

89/100

Label:

20 Buck Spin Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

1. Protoxenesis
2. Hell Simulation
3. Salted In Stygia
4. Inward To Abraxas
5. To Snuff The Spirit Guides
6. Aumicide
7. A Kingdom Of Cortisol
8. Monolith Aflame
9. Through The Hologram’s Cervix
10. Excruciate Incarnate

Line-up:

  • Jordan Berglund – Vocals
  • David Stepanavicius – Guitars
  • Luka Govendnik – Drums
  • Miles Morrison – Bass

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