Xenosapien

There are countless bands out there playing death/grind and similarly diluted genres nowadays. Due to this, it takes something quite special to stand out from the crowd. Cephalic Carnage drew me in unsuspectingly with “Xenosapien”. Most of the bands playing this style of metal are forgettable, as almost all of them sound the same. This album is a rare example of innovation, breathing new life into stale music.

To start with, this album is heavy, even more so than Whitechapel or Belay My Last. Thankfully, the death metal influence is strong here, with incredibly deep growls and relentless drums, urgently pacing the furious music. Speed and technicality seems to be the order of the day for all the instruments, and none of them let up. The pace on “Xenosapien” is pummeling, making it a retardedly heavy onslaught throughout its duration.

The drums are simply fantastic, standing out amongst already impressive examples found elsewhere in death metal. With immensely fast blasts and interludes, breaking into weird off-beats and time signatures, it is truly an incredible delivery. The drums are alone in depicting tempo, however, since the bass has taken on an entirely different role on “Xenosapien”. This album features the most complex and technical bass I’ve heard in this or any genre, executed at breakneck speed. It almost matches the searing guitars note for note, ensuring tremendous fretwork all round on the album.

With all the members being so talented, you’re bound to end up with excellent composition. The songs on “Xenosapien” are very well-written, and each one is unique, which is more than can be said for most others in this genre. This album never gets boring, as all the tracks are immensely layered and complex, never easing into a rhythm or anything remotely comfortable. Many interesting elements are incorporated here, and yet the music doesn’t seem experimental. Cephalic Carnage know what they are, and this album is direct and focused as a result. All the progressions feel natural, albeit very bewildering. The instruments are incredibly tight in all the chaos, so the album comes across as maturely harmonious.

Cephalic Carnage is very deserving of its “stoner” label, in spite of the amazing instrumental work. This music is random, with constant paradox and change, never settling. As a result, this album only really shines after 4 or 5 listens, and by this time, you’ll love it. “Xenosapien” is certainly worth hearing, even if it’s just to hear great musicianship. Cephalic Carnage are definitely leaders of their genre despite popular opinion. The best tracks are “Divination and Volition”, “Ov Vicissitude” and “Touched by an Angel”, all very heavy and memorable. A surprise gem is “G.lobal O.verhaul D.evice”, a slower song which builds and eventually breaks wonderfully. Forget all other death/grind bands until you’ve heard this, because Cephalic Carnage are the true innovators, with more talent than any of the others could hope for. Blaze on!