ALBUM REVIEW: Anthrobscene – Deified

Merseyside’s DEIFIED are back and bringing metal in its rawest form with second full length album Anthrobscene. Unashamedly heavy, the band lean further than ever into the groove and thrash of their music.

Our opening and aptly named Prelude, sounds like the opening for a Terminator-style apocalypse film. All drums, shinning guitar and doom synths, it’s enough to capture the attention for the first big number.

That comes in the form of Dark Desires, which takes the duality of crisp, sharp guitars and deep, grooving rhythms and really has its way with it. the same does with the vocal styles, both growled and screamed, the combination is levelled well and adds enough nasty shifts to balance with the chugging, headbanging melody.

There’s just as much ferocity in Broken Matrix, with more technical edge and aggression. DEIFIED are not messing around here, it’s balls to the wall, all out motion and feels a lot more than four minutes after it’s finished battering you around like a ragdoll. Even the moments when you can settle into the groove are only enough to catch your breath, before the chug embraces you once more.

Enemies Within keeps up the malevolence, and adds a little spoken word which mixes things up under then torrent of harmonising guitars and snapping drums for a blazing choral breakdown. It’s brimming with socially commentary, which many will really get behind at the moment, but if you’re just hear for the brutal momentum, you’ll be more than satisfied.

Intermission brings us right back into the centre of our imaginary eighties’ futuristic apocalypse. These moments of interlude server to break up the record nicely, but aren’t tonally the most in keeping with the huge belligerent sound of DEIFIED.

Approaching things to a slightly different energy, Apotheosis is a great mix between some blistering savage riffing and relentless and vocals that almost don’t seem to give enough time to catch a breath, it’s nasty, dark and viciously good metal that really demonstrates how far DEIFIED have come. Sweet soloing, sweltering melodic movements and satisfying breakdowns are all present, and it’s glorious.

We get into some really tech metal territory here Blood Under the Bridge, guitars droning and wailing under battering beats as things slide between thrash and death metal, it’s a heavy burned to take on this one at full volume, with some unbelievable rewards if you can stay the trip. The tapping section alone is atmospheric enough to call this brilliant without the encapsulating storm of the surrounding track.

As we somehow come to the conclusion of Anthrobscene, An Ode to Armageddon is a much gentler affair. The fuzz and crackle are there in the guitars, but with the accompaniment of soft delay and a gentle synth, you might think we’re in for a tempered way out of the record. This is absolutely not true, as a battering heavy stomp is what awaits us at the final moments of this record, an apt reminder of the terrors of a dark end for humanity.

This is as solid as any album could wish to be; Anthrobscene has the guts to decimate all that stands in its way. Compact, brutal, expressive and undeniably heavy, DEIFIED have put out their best work to date. For anyone who appreciates what can be achieved in heavy metal, you’ll agree this album is a triumph for the genre as a whole.

Rating: 8/10

Anthrobscene is set for release on May 29th via self-release.

Like DEIFIED on Facebook.