ALBUM REVIEW: Quiescence – Analepsy

April 12, 2022 Rich Webb

The wonderful thing about extreme metal is that bands can garner the support of diehard fans and the respect of their peers without having to sell their soul in order to do so. The Portuguese brutal death metal crew ANALEPSY are one of those acts. They have been making waves in the scene since their inception almost a decade ago and turned plenty of heads with their debut full-length release Atrocities From Beyond and as a result, their sophomore full length album Quiescence features some familiar faces.

The album opener Locus Of Dawning sets the tone for the rest of the release. This is technically proficient, crushingly heavy death metal that toes the line between all of the different subgenres without anchoring for too long in any. This is a testament to ANALEPSY’s ability to shift their sound quickly without it feeling forced or lazy, allowing them to cover significant musical ground in each song. The riffs throughout the track (and indeed the rest of Quiescence) are complex and intriguing, without feeling overthought and self-indulgent, and the contrasting breakdown that is thrown in towards the end is about as heavy as you’re likely to find.

The following track Impending Subversion is a brutal death metal flex. The battery of the constant shifting rhythmic patterns and the impressive vocal range of Calin Paraschiv make this song one of the real highlights of the album. This guitar solos are impressive without overstaying their welcome, and NILE-esque chord progressions make for an exciting listen, once again showing a maturity in the song-writing that has always served the band so well in the past.

As previously mentioned, the band have brought a whole host of friends to join in them on the album. These include Wilson Ng of Hong Kong/Taiwanese brutal death metallers FACELIFT DEFORMATION, Angel Ochoa, who has been a member of some notable extreme acts such as CEPHALOTRIPSY, ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY and DISGORGE, and finally Ricky Myers from death metal legends SUFFOCATION. The fact that they have managed to enlist such a well-respected and talented (and also so geographically well spread) roster of guests is a testament to the respect that they have garnered in their relatively short career so far.

Towards the end of the album the band produce one of their finest moments to date, the aptly named Edge Of Chaos. The start of the song sounds almost like a death-doom epic with the swelling layers of guitars and the rumbling bass. Steadily though it picks up speed before firing off into a cavalcade of ferocious death metal guitar riffs and guttural vocals that are sure to incite more than their fair share of pits when they are introduced to the band’s setlist. The guitar solos are exquisitely written and serve the song well, rather than just flexing the technical proficiency of the players as so many do in this genre. This track is a perfect example of a band reaching their creative peak and hopefully they expand on this kind of formula again in more depth on future releases.

As mentioned, this is a band who have paid their dues and have carved themselves out a nice niche in the brutal death metal scene. They’ve garnered the favour of their peers and critics alike, and with Quiescence it looks like ANALEPSY are showing no signs of slowing up their momentum at any time soon.

Rating: 8/10