In the trenches of vile, visceral music, first impressions are everything; I’m in this for the thrill. Nephelium go straight for the entrails on their full-length debut, dishing out delicious death with a heaping side of grind. I’ll have an extra helping. Coils of Entropy is not music for idle observation; these songs invite the listener to partake of carnage.
Nephelium thrive on the dense, lockstep scrape of Dying Fetus but deploy a wider array of riffing and rhythmic diversity. Coils of Entropy evokes many of death metal's masters, whipping out aspects of classic Cryptopsy, Morbid Angel, Immolation, and Suffocation. While steeped in death’s essential stew, Nephelium have carved out a distinctive and cohesive sound, fully grasping the repugnant timbre of annihilation.
Stuttering riffs slide, swerve and swirl, resolving into grooves and rebounding into reticulated, tightly woven structures. The constantly shifting rhythms are trance-inducing, driven by indefatigable drumming with more than a little mojo. I wouldn't call Nephelium egregiously technical, but these compositions do feature fascinating complication. Some mind-fuckingly sweet riffs flirt with melody but never fully engage its saccharine embrace.
The vocals are spectacular expectorations, expelled with a phlegmy, drooling exigency. These goregrinding belches are imbued with slobbering vehemence, excellent diction, and much panache.
Nephelium aren’t the new shit, nor are they the old; they’re simply the shit. Coils of Entropy is about riffs and reaction; I feel an uncontrollable desire to destroy when in its clutches. Don’t pass on this engaging edifice of mandatory neck wreckage.
8.6/10
The album is available via Nephelium's bandcamp page. You can stream it below:
