Adramelech
Psychostasia

Adapt or die: this must have been what Adramelech thought in the mid-nineties. With the trajectory of the death metal saga in a downward phase, it was necessary to evolve, change style, or face extinction. After all, the more established compatriot bands had already realized this, with Sentenced first with “North From Here” and then with “Amok” and Amorphis with “Tales From the Thousand Lakes” and “Elegy”, both embarking on a path that would take them far from their starting genre. However, Adramelech were not ready to abandon their beloved death metal and found another way to survive.

Morbid Angel have been one of the most influential bands in the history of this type of music, and many bands have been inspired by them to compose their own songs, including Adramelech, who before debuting with “Psychostasia” must have listened to the works of Vincent and Azagthoth to exhaustion, especially what was then the latest creation, “Domination.” In this album, the Floridian masters had sought new ways of expression, thanks also to the substantial contribution of Erik Rutan. And so Adramelech’s style transformed into a more modern and evolved death metal, where the typical hypnotic melodies of the Finnish school mutated due to the industrial influences of the letter D from the Morbid Angels' alphabet, and the atmospheres changed, no longer having any doom influence. In short, it’s the end of the old school, with raw and catacombal productions; here, sound clarity is preferred to highlight the great work of the musicians. A death metal with the right amount of unsettling melody, a legacy of the Finnish group’s heritage, and a great vibe, with themes concerning ancient Sumerian and Assyrian deities, lost gods of a dark and distant past also beloved by Morbid Angel themselves. Just under thirty-five minutes of intense and inspired music for an almost perfect album, lacking only one standout song among all the others, I find no other flaws.

No disbandment for once, the only band not to have abandoned their dark origins. In short, metal or death, indeed, Death Metal.