Labels: Willowtip
Review by: Alex Deller
Second outpouring of thoughtful, virtuosic death metal from these maestros. 2015’s ‘Polemic’ still provides a useful set of coordinates by which to chart Contrarian’s course, though things here are far cleaner and clearer, with the crunching riffs shuffling over further to make even more space for sky-gazing guitar work and basslines that ooze forth like strange fluid seeping from a crashed alien pod. The gleaming, grit-free production job and general lightness of touch will likely deter those seeking more primordial, malignant sounds, but anyone with a taste for Cynic, Atheist and late-period Death is sure to be impressed by the progressive morbidity to be found here.