Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Noxis - Violence Inherent in the System (2024)

Apparently, the guys in Noxis hate being referred to as a technical or progressive death metal band. This is strange really when you consider the amount of technicality and odd time signatures in their music, for a band who want to focus on how death metal they really are at their core, this can be a tough sell. Assisting with the latter part of that sentence though is the amount of head bobbing riffs they can muster and the extensive level of groove that gets applies to them as well. On Violence Inherent in the System, whatever their motivations and influences, Noxis take the listener on a fantastic exploration of the foundations of death metal whilst being unafraid to add modern and even avant-garde touches.

You cannot fail to be sucked into this record if you like Cryptopsy, Demilich or Adremalech. In an age where death metal suffers from endless regurgitation of the old school sound, it is not always sufficient to simply extend the already well-established bloodline that started in the 90’s. Unless, you are super tight at playing your weapons of choice, which Noxis most certainly are. Enter current Nunslaughter drummer Joe Lowrie. Described in an interview as being a “cyborg” by his bandmates, he gives a strong performance across the ten tracks that make up the record. Now, he is no Saint Merat (we even get straight up d-beat drumming on the title track), and he doesn’t need to be given that this is a very different sound to the expansive soundscapes of Ulcerate. However, when coupled with Kirsch’s bass work (which is top notch) the two instruments become a singular unit almost, pulling and pushing tracks in different directions. This creates lots of opportunity to put those riffs front and centre, something that Dylan Cruz manages to achieve fantastically. That groovy riff that opens Torpid Consumption is real “get your eyes back on the road” moment, and the album is simply littered with such occasions (such as the title track) that make you stop whatever you are doing and put more of your attention onto Violence Inherent in the System.

That bass does come across as too placed on some occasions though; notwithstanding the fact that Kirsch clearly has free reign to do whatever he wants, it sounds like he does not need to go as far as he does sometimes. It does not necessarily confuse things but certainly adds a bit of bloating in places. I have heard the clarinet and horn solos on the appropriately titled Horns Echo over Chorazim several times and after swinging between “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?” and “actually this works” I find myself in the latter camp most of the time, even though I am not usually a fan of such intrusions.

This record caught me off-guard. Laid up in bed with a raging chest infection and suddenly out of Xmas activities I had much unexpected time to listen to some 2024 releases, and Noxis have been an absolute curve ball for me. They would certainly make top three on my year end list but are unlikely to remove Ulcerate from the top slot. However, as I said above, this is a very different album to Cutting the Throat of God, and one that holds its own in the world of modern death metal whilst still being able to display a very healthy set of roots in the past.