Hey there tech fiends, it's that time of the week again. Before we dive into today's focus, here's the usual reminder that if you're looking for more sick music, all prior editions of this series can be perused here.
Misanthropy hail from Chicago and are a group I was only recently made aware of thanks to their guitarist hitting me up that it was coming soon and he thought I might enjoy it. A ton of spins later and I’m definitely hooked on their new album Abhorrent Metamorphosis which dropped a few days ago on August 28th.
The way the music is composed and constantly switching gears is damn impressive, it’s very obvious the musicians behind it are well versed in many forms of death metal and thrash metal. This is incredibly ambitious music, and Abhorrent Metamorphosis is full of labyrinth-like songwriting that boggles the mind, and their compositions are just as sick on both the long end of the spectrum and also on the short side of things. Misanthropy play a very energetic and nimble style that powers through with a lot of speed overall at the forefront, but the endless transitions to new ideas and frequent genre-hopping ensures that things are kept fresh and eclectic.
For sure, there are a some of tech death groups who will throw in some thrash riffs or thrashy moments, but few have a real and potent progressive and technical thrash side that is this prominent and interesting as the manner in which Misanthropy are doing it. Abhorrent Metamorphosis as a result really doesn’t fit neatly or solely among any one genre or framework, which is why I’ve chosen to cover them today since the ethos of their music boils down to death metal with a strong technical and progressive flair often on the Gorguts and Artificial Brain end of things, albeit enhanced by a lot of thrash, prog-thrash like Vektor and Revocation, and even some old school death metal influences popping up akin to Carcass, Exhumed, and a bit of Death in some spots.
As if their songs jam-packed nature, and the unholy mindfuck of density overwhelming you when hearing this as a whole, wasn’t impressive enough, Misanthropy closes the album with an epic 17-minute opus called “Obsolescent Genesis” which is worth the price of admission alone. Yet even the first two tracks, “Monument to Ignorance”, a stunning near eight-minute opener that is an explosive statement of intent and of incredibly high quality, and track two’s short follow up “Auto-Replicating Monstrosity” make it abundantly clear that this is a special release you’re going to want to buy and invest a lot of time spinning it.
I can honestly say I haven’t heard a band that sounds exactly like Misanthropy on this album, it’s all in the strange way they mix and shift mercurial forms between death and thrash with ease and skill. At over 50 minutes, Abhorrent Metamorphosis is a massive experience to indulge in and it rewards your time and patience by being stunningly killer all the way through. You can buy the album through the Misanthropy Bandcamp and follow the group over on the Misanthropy Facebook Page.
