Cytotoxin - Plutonium Heaven
When listening to Cytotoxin's debut, it will feel like being hit by a freight train. The album is brief, but presents some of the best technical metal since Dying Fetus or Beneath The Massacre ever hit ears. The musical focus is on the drums which have that percussive tap to them like someone is doing tribal drumming insanely fast (like how Vital Remains sounds sometimes) amongst the multiple note changes on the guitars which shift quickly, but also precisely so they are each segmented into the right places to make the whole song flow together smoothly without being repetitive at all, such as on "React Or Recede." Others like "... In A Complex Velocity" forcus more on chugging rhythm that isn't as virtuous as the other tracks, but it only allows more attention to the drums which really show their colors, and their sound. They already sound good enough on most of the tracks but here it just makes one go 'wow... that's really awesome.' It only adds to the technical metal glory side while retaining the brutality of the death metal side.
The vocals are a bit of a loss in the mix; mostly they are deep and guttural with plenty of ferocity to offer, but within the production mix they just don't sound as good as they really are. Tracks like "Remk-1000" might as well have been an instrumental because the vocal quality is so low that is basically seems like the long lost bass guitar. The music is slow, churning, and a perfect opportunity to let the vocals shine because the technical death metal craziness isn't overtaking everything at the moment, but sadly Cytotoxin miss out on that chance. Still, it's not an entire letdown because the focus is after all on the music, not the vocals. And the music is just downright awesome. "Solemnities Of May" is one of the more accessible death metal tracks because it is easier to wrap one's head around the music without being blown away by the complexity, but the solo in the middle is excellent for death metal standards. Ultimately, the music here is heavy and well mixed as far as creating a varied sound without any repetitiion or chance of boring listeners, but like Meshuggah, it tends to get a big mind boggling. It's not math metal madness, but deathcore and brutal death metal fans are going to be blown away by the lack of simplicity here. Listen with an open mind and a forgiving attitude towards a brief time total; the album is less than half an hour long.
The vocals are a bit of a loss in the mix; mostly they are deep and guttural with plenty of ferocity to offer, but within the production mix they just don't sound as good as they really are. Tracks like "Remk-1000" might as well have been an instrumental because the vocal quality is so low that is basically seems like the long lost bass guitar. The music is slow, churning, and a perfect opportunity to let the vocals shine because the technical death metal craziness isn't overtaking everything at the moment, but sadly Cytotoxin miss out on that chance. Still, it's not an entire letdown because the focus is after all on the music, not the vocals. And the music is just downright awesome. "Solemnities Of May" is one of the more accessible death metal tracks because it is easier to wrap one's head around the music without being blown away by the complexity, but the solo in the middle is excellent for death metal standards. Ultimately, the music here is heavy and well mixed as far as creating a varied sound without any repetitiion or chance of boring listeners, but like Meshuggah, it tends to get a big mind boggling. It's not math metal madness, but deathcore and brutal death metal fans are going to be blown away by the lack of simplicity here. Listen with an open mind and a forgiving attitude towards a brief time total; the album is less than half an hour long.
- React Or Recede
- ... In A Complex Velocity
- Human Mud
- Plutonium Heaven
- 2 Minutes For 2 Years
- Remk-1000
- Solemnities Of May
Self released
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
May 28, 2011
May 28, 2011
Next review:
Curse - Void Above, Abyss Below
Share this:
