Tech death metal has come a long way since the time of the original Atheist, Cynic, Death, and Pestilence classics, but the spirit of these legendary acts live on in most present-day tech death. One such example is Abiotic's Symbiosis which features the type of dynamic bass patterns that especially Atheist and Cynic were known for.
But the level of technicality is taken to the nth degree on Abiotic's album, which features some technically really impressive stuff. The songs are constantly moving, one riff taking over from the other with several bursts of guitar-wankery intertwined with the occasional jazz fusion passage. Drawing a lot on deathcore, Abiotic also make use of crushing grooves and breakdowns – some of which are more innovative than others.
There definitely are a lot of attractive points on this album, but it never manages to capture me completely. One reason is the hysterical vocals, which consist of guttural growls, high-pitched screams and pig squeals. All three types of vocal styles are, of course, common in extreme metal these days, but the way they are delivered on this album, unfortunately, annoys me endlessly and disturbs my listening experience.
In any case, fans of hyper technical death metal and deathcore are likely to enjoy this album more than I did, so they should check Symbiosis out for themselves.
Tracklist:
1. Metamorphilia
2. Vermosapien
3. A Universal Plague
4. To Burgeon and Languish
5. Hegira
6. Conquest of Gliese
7. The Singe
8. Exitus
9. Facades
10. The Graze of Locusts
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