Review by Saxy S for Allegaeon - Apoptosis (2019)

Apoptosis is the fifth studio album from Denver based technical/melodic/progressive death metal band Allegaeon, and the first that I listened to upon release. Previous albums were solid, but I missed them during my metal purge of the 2010s. Then suddenly, after graduation, a random recommendation of the bands cover of "Subdivisions" shows up and I was hooked. The rest of the album, Proponent for Sentience was a major wake up call for me in multiple ways. Not only was it one of the main contributors in reviving my love for the genre, but one of the catalysts to push me forward in exploring the extreme sides of the field. 

So going into Apoptosis for the first time, my expectations were sky high. And while I do feel a little let down by what was given here, it's hard for me to find all that much to criticize about it. My biggest issue with it was, now that the band had played their opus card on the last album, it would be hard to stay on the cutting edge without being predictable. And Apoptosis does become a little bit predictable, especially around "Metaphobia". Without the aspirations of being conceptual, the record instead becomes a wank fest. And in this case, I mean "wank fest" in the best way possible.

Someone once compared Allegaeon's songwriting to that of Dream Theater. And if you look at it from a pure, surface level perspective you might be right. But if you take that comparison anywhere beyond the guitar playing, you will quickly realize that their is no weight in that comparison. Allegaeon write well formed, balanced tunes that have a great blend and counterpoint of guitars, vocals and even bass from time to time. The percussion does a lot of great work here laying foundational ground for the melodic instruments above it. The mixing in the drums is very well done and when it's at the busiest it still does not bother me or interfere with the other parts of the mixing. 

This album might not be as connected as their last record, but Apoptosis does have a sliver of a concept running through it; that being the concept of controlled death. I think that "controlled death" is an appropriate description of Apoptosis as a whole. The album is vicious, fast and loud. Compared to other technical death metal bands like Cryptopsy, Gorguts and Suffocation, Allegaeon's songwriting is much more connected. These brutal sounds are not included for their own sake; they all contribute to telling the story of the record and I greatly appreciate that in a genre that is blissfully ignorant of that. Overall it is a strong, if a little same-y, record with lots of positives when taken on its own. In the greater discography I can see audiences getting fatigued by many of the same sounds. But how many other tech-death bands are making music as melodic as this? At that point, you might wonder if Allegaeon needs to change their sound at all.

Best Songs: Interphase // Meiosis, Extremophiles (B), Exothermic Chemical Combustion, Tsunami and Submergence