The Atrophic – Coagulating Mirth

Long has the very essence of technical death metal been something that has attracted true spectacles year after year with fascinating releases that always impress be it from the same reliable sources or new names that have come to shape what we know of intensity. Whenever a new act does come around, it always feels like the bar has been raised in some form or another as if the whole scene is a cutthroat competition that can only be likened to extreme Darwinism. A fresh name is one that is almost always worthy of attention and investigation, and it’s with their debut EP that The Atrophic instantly mark themselves for such.

It’s a true task to make any sort of impression in just four tracks, especially when we’re dealing with a style that’s as dense and intrinsic as what technical death metal has always been, and that’s without even considering it being a band’s first effort. The Atrophic could’ve gone in any possible direction with the debut of “Coagulating Mirth”, and I can’t help but feel like they managed to travel down the most challenging path possible by attempting to bring supreme melody to their sound that offers so much more than colorful intensity. It can be so damn difficult to incorporate any sense of melody into a sound that’s already packed full of craziness and musical prowess that’s enough to singe the very eyebrows off of anyone who isn’t ready for such a display of power, but it simply cannot be said that The Atrophic failed to bring it to life with “Coagulating Mirth”. These four tracks are utterly staggering in their vast detail and density as this duo does an absolutely exemplary job at bringing to life such a dark vision that was born out of the recent times that we all have suffered from with the final product of “Coagulating Mirth” is nothing to look down upon by any means whether we’re talking about its themes, power, or undeniable ferocity that permeates every layer and every second that’s on full display here.

Every time it’s tempting to say that the new band that impresses is something that demands to be heard for how well they were able to make a show-stopping performance right out of the gate, but it’s with their delectable madness that’s entwined deeply with melody that I cannot help but sing those exact praises about what The Atrophic has done here for its debut. The very DNA of “Coagulating Mirth” is something that cannot be ignored, and it’s in every way that I expect to see this band come back to us sooner rather than later with power that is not to be trifled with and talent that simply cannot be passed up.

LISTEN to “Coagulating Mirth” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE The Atrophic on Facebook here.