Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate (2021)

Ænigmatum are a bit of strange one for me. I bought Deconsecrate on vinyl after one listen on Spotify which considering that I usually like my death metal more blackened and horrific as opposed to progressive and clever is a bold move for me. In the run up to this purchase I was listening to a lot of Death, specifically Individual Thought Patterns which I guess kind of put me in the mindset for Ænigmatum’s brand of bass heavy and proggy death metal.

To reference a more recent similarity though, Deconsecrate also reminds me of VoidCeremony’s debut full-length from last year. Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel was another bass driven affair that referenced enough DiGiorgio style of playing to make me be like all 90s an’ shit. Brian Rush does a similar job on Deconsecrate, often playing his own thing as he does runs and plays seemingly outside of the rest of the proceedings yet somehow seamlessly connected to the very core of what is going on. The bass coupled with the remarkable drumming of Pierce Williams are the two standout performances on what is still overall a very tight and well composed record. Watching videos of both Rush and Williams perform, it is clear they are the main driving talent of the band yet neither dominate the performance. The lead and melody work of Eli Lundgren and Kelly Mclaughlin is crisp and clear, and their busy riffing style applies an important gravity to the tracks.

Now, I have very little reference points to prog-death so I am not insinuating that there is anything remarkable here in comparison to the rest of the sub-genre as I genuinely do not have enough experience to do any real comparison. What I do hear on Ænigmatum’s sophomore release though shapes up for some memorable and thoughtful performances. There is an innate sense of measurement present throughout the album, like everything is in its rightful place and each of these parts are nurtured into their slot by the rest of the instrumentation. McLaughlin’s vocals are death metal 101 really and yet they roll superbly over the riffing and rhythms without feeling like they are intrusive or trying to overbear anything else.

The pacing on the album is almost gentle at times and has an odd soothing quality to it. The death metal elements as a result can feel more melodic in origin, deploying hints of At The Gates here and there. Still though it is the climbing bass of Rush and the resolute drumming of Williams that constantly jump out at you. In the more frantic moments of the album, you end up almost caught between them and wondering which one to follow or chase after for the best. They do somehow still compliment one another though which again is testimony to the talent of the artists themselves.

I think there is more to come out of the Ænigmatum camp in the future that will captivate me for a few more records yet I hope. For all the success I have highlighted on this review there is still an element of some variety needed in terms of structure with only the instrumental that opens side B of the album being the main palate cleanser so to speak. However, this remains one of my real finds of 2021 so far and one that is liable to chart quite high on my year end list.