While 2023 hasn’t been the biggest year for Technical Death Metal, there still have been a few standouts: Elitist, Neurectomy, Stortregn, and Xoth, among others. Being a fan of this style of normally noodly, shred-filled Death Metal, I was eager to pick up Sublation when I saw it in the promo bin. A relatively unknown band, Sublation is also somewhat new, having only released one prior full length to this EP. Having zero expectations when I went in, I was left somewhat confused by the end of this. Starting off, “Congenital Putrescence” brings forth a style of Technical Death Metal that has a pseudo-Metalcore lean to it, in parts. It’s a decent opener, and has a great solo, but the main problem that befalls this album makes itself known relatively quickly: it’s not the most memorable of Technical Death Metal.
Tracks two through five continue in this sense of competent, unmemorable tech, with highlights like “Born Out of a Whim”, which brings forth some much needed aggression to the music. Solos in this and “Like a Fire That Consumes All Before It” are very fun and inject an extra bit of “oomph” into the songs that would be devoid of substance without them. Clearly, Sublation were fans of The Devils of Loudun‘s album last year, as similarities abound: not only with track structure (lead guitar layered alongside the main riff) but also with how alike songs sound to each other. For example, “Congenital Putrescence” sounds a lot like “Incarnate” (from Escaping Eternity), albeit not as interesting. A lack of identity is an issue here, as I’d rather listen to the album they’re paying homage to rather than this in places. Track six, “This Little Death”, is where the mood shifts to that of confusion. The sound quality dips somewhat, as though the song is a demo. It’s still not a bad song, but the sudden shift is definitely jarring. The other real problem is the closer, monolithic in comparison to the rest of the songs. It’s one long tremolo riff extending eight minutes, which absolutely did not need to be that long. Songwriting choices like this leave me more confused than anything else, because the first five tracks are a solid EP. Experimentation is always encouraged in metal music, but sometimes the results don’t turn out as hoped: it’s clear Sublation wanted to experiment with a Drone-like song at the end, but it fell flat and soured the rest of the experience. Setback aside, I think Sublation could have a promising future in further releases if they stick to what they do best: writing (hopefully more memorable) Technical Death Metal, not Drone.
