REPLICANT
REPLICANT– “Infinite Mortality”
By Thor
Brunswick, New Jersey’s REPLICANT returns with a new LP, the band’s third, called “Infinite Morality”, out now from Transcending Obscurity Records.
REPLICANT plays a style of death metal the band describes as “dissonant and catchy”. That’s a difficult needle to thread. That’s like a pastry chef conjuring up a cookie that’s both repulsive and delicious. It’s a bit of an oxymoron and it begs the question: is such an approach even possible?
The short answer is kind of. However, I should qualify that by making clear the material on “Infinite Morality” doesn’t lean too far toward either end of that dichotomy. The most notably unique element of the album’s aesthetic is the use of what sounds like atmospheric samples/pads integrated into various songs. It’s nothing too overt. Otherwise, the band seems to employ about every death metal trope there’s ever been, mostly at mid-tempo. And, again, musically, it mostly works.
However, in an apparent effort to further differentiate their approach from conventional death metal acts, the vocals are all over the place. It’s not all out guttural and it’s not at all grindcore screaming, but rather like an atonal wailing similar to Lord Worm’s approach on the early CRYPTOPSY albums, but less extreme and much less successful. Often, it sounds thin and out of control. And that’s unfortunate, because with a more streamlined vocal approach, the music’s Avant Garde nature would feel more focused and intentional.
REPLICANT’s first LP, 2018’s “Negative Life”, blew me away. It sounded so unlike anything I’d heard within the extreme metal paradigm up to that point. The band has clearly set out to challenge expectations again and “Infinite Mortality” is a tapestry of extreme metal experimentation. Some elements are unique and truly interesting. But many of them are not. So, it ends up feeling like one long, not particularly engaging song. In short, the album lacks a “hook” that makes me want to revisit it.
Fans of GORGUTS, DEMILICH, and ULCERATE will likely find something to like here, and your mileage may vary because, fortunately, these guys don’t really sound like anything else. And that’s good. The only way to know if this is your cup of tea is to go listen for yourself.