Ever since I experienced the frenzied and frenetic ‘Malignant Reality’ by Replicant back in 2021 I was smitten by their bone shattering, Gorguts-meets-groove oriented dissonant Death Metal splendor.
Featuring Michael Goncalves, Peter Lloyd, Itay Keren and Justin Spaeth in their ranks, Replicant are a unit that conjure forth music of the most cerebral and visceral sort.
Their follow up to ‘Malignant Reality’ entitled ‘Infinite Mortality’ is a smoldering study in scorching, severely technical and masterfully composed crushing, cavernous Dissonant Death Metal that takes no prisoners in its quest to set everything in its path ablaze in a corrosive conflagration of fiery riffs, fierce rhythms and vicious vocals that are akin to the harrowing howling of Gorguts mastermind Luc Lemay.
This time round there is a noted increase in synthesizer fueled atmospherics that only add an extra sense of odorous menace to the punishment that ensues throughout the forty four minute runtime of ‘Infinite Mortality’.
Opening with the relentless ‘Acid Mirror’, a track that sets a turbulent precedent for the tumult that follows, ‘Infinite Mortality’ proves to be a blistering and monolithic exercise in acrobatic riffs and volcanic rhythms that expand and contract like serpents on crack.
Tracks like ‘Orgasm Of Bereavement’ surge ahead on a shifting bedrock of bludgeoning rhythmic warfare and the heaving riffs and razor sharp percussive flourishes of numbers like ‘Pain Enduring’ further cement the dominance Replicant have asserted over their chosen form of charred, gnarled and churning Avant Garde Death Metal.
In fact each track that makes up the walloping tapestry of wildfire that is the mighty ‘Infinite Mortality’ is a prime piece of sonic real estate that leaves one reeling in a state of awe.
I adore the pinch harmonics and whiplash like guitar histrionics that thread every track together on this murderous album. Herein riffs are alternately elastic and tightly wound, chords being bounced about with strategic abandon as much as they are held together and doled forth with willful intent.
If you enjoy bands like Portal, Ulcerate, Nightmarer, Gorguts and Abyssal and have yet to check out Replicant do so and posthaste.
With ‘Infinite Mortality’ Replicant have mastered their own unique brand of grisly Avant Garde/Dissonant/Cavernous Tech-Death and cemented their place at the apex of this form with their patented brand of crazed and artistic Death Metal fervor.
-Asher Locketz-