Analepsy – Atrocities from Beyond

When I say slam, people usually think of the Russian scene, often citing ultra-heavyweights Abominable Putridity. Well, it turns out Portugal is also amazing at mid-tempo grooving. Their first release, Dehumanization by Supremacy, was an exceptional debut from any point of view. The production was spot-on, the songs had great flow, and the slams were goddamn heavy. The vocals were arguably the least impressive, mainly because there was so little variety – which is something given that we’re talking about brutal death metal here. On Atrocities from Beyond, the man behind the mic is replaced by the lead guitarist, Diogo Santana, and this man’s range is far superior – there are some nice mid-ranged growls mixed and that really give the gutturals punch by contrast. They’ve hired backup on a couple of songs, including the legendary Larry Wang from Coprocephalic, who’s always a welcome addition to any album. It’s great to hear how the songwriting grew between the two records. The first being your bread and butter slamming brutal death metal record, it’s nice to hear a well-placed guitar solo here and there, as well as a couple of nice bass fills. Something that made its way from eastern Europe to Portugal is the Extermination Dismemberment-style bass drop at strategic pant-shitting slams. More subtly done than their Byelorussian counterpart, they add just enough oomph to get your fists pumping. Not that the slams needed any – they’re at least as heavy as those on Dehumanization, and some have an Abominable Putridity feel to them, with unexpected offbeat changes from time to time. The palm-muted single note riffs add technical flair here and there, and even though we’re far from actual tech death here it’s nice to hear a little variation. This is actually one of my favorite albums at the moment. It’s got the grooves and flow of Russian bands while keeping the grit of American-style slam, and it’s got Larry Wang. Also chances are you’ll have “Vermin Devourer” in your head for the next week.

Giuseppe Fitzsimmons

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