Hey there tech-death fiends! The stream train continues yet again this week here in this space. But as always, if you want to dive into prior editions of this series after checking this out they can be found here. Today's target is an early stream of Apus, the upcoming sophomore full-length by The Schoenberg Automaton.
As far as modern and outside-of-the-box sounding technical death metal goes, The Schoenberg Automaton have always strived to deliver a unique sound from their very inception as a band. First doing so with a three song demo in 2010 that showed a band seemingly already fully formed sound-wise. They then followed the hype from that up with a monstrous and well regarded full-length in 2013 called Vela, a record I still frequently spin to this day due to its intensity and consistent high quality from start to finish. While three years doesn't seem like a long time to wait between records, its felt far longer than that to me while waiting for Apus to drop. Although part of that was due to the band relocating from Australia to Canada recently, and also in trying to score a new label to put out their new record.
Ahead of its official release this Friday, June 3rd through eOne Records, you can stream the full thing below and get lost in a world of mechanized abstract rage. While the technical death metal sound the band has developed aided by mathcore and mechanized grooves influences continues on Apus, this is quite the evolution for the band. It's the sequel we always crave as fans but rarely get. Meaning it doesn't sound like a retread, its a record that sees the band as stronger songwriters who indulge in even more of the experimental and progressive elements previously showcased on Vela. With a restrained but noticeable addition of melody in brief spurts, and rounded out with healthy doses of dissonance this time around to add a little more to their sound.
I'm pleased to say that Apus indeed lives up to my high expectations for it, and really goes for broke as far as giving you a shit load of music to absorb. With a run time just over 56 minutes, Apus is a long journey for sure, but its all killer and no filler thankfully. If you like what you hear below, you can pre-order it from their here or here. Be sure to follow them over on their Facebook page too!
https://soundcloud.com/eone-music/sets/the-schoenberg-automaton/s-jz5wu
