6th February 2021

Review: “The Futility Of Man” by Tectonic Displacement!

Hailing from Kiruna, Sweden Tectonic Displacement recorded their debut EP “The Futility Of Man” with Johan Karlsson (Toxic Crypt, Reaper’s Mark, Long Road To Success) at JSK Audio, where he also handled mixing and mastering duties. Coupled with stunning artwork by Andreas Johansson, the quartet of Tim Engström (Guitars and Vocals), David Nutti (Guitar), Kristoffer Salomonsson (Drums) and Pontus Skoog (Bass) have quietly been building a reputation for creating some high quality Progressive Melodic Death Metal which deserves to be heard…

…lyrically as bleak as the song title suggest, “The Futility of Man” finds Engström dissecting the actions of the Human race with a serpents tongue and a venomous bite as he speaks of our ignorance bringing about our self destruction with an environmental awareness that lurks just beneath the surface of the black heart. Sonically, the band bring chunky riffs of satisfying Melodic Death Metal at mid tempo while allowing the rhythm section to do a lot of the hard work. “The Human Condition” is an equally vicious little ditty with a Groove Metal orientation that finds Engström battling with inner demons. A mid track almost ambient progressive passage into a solo of melancholic introspection gives warmth with some impressive technical guitar work laying on top of some of those spine juddering rhythms. The most progressive of the three cuts is “Halcyon” which has science fiction lyrical themes that were hinted at in the title track and showcase some storytelling abilities while also thundering in some blast beats and odd time signatures that build the sinister edges. If this is just the start then Tectonic Displacement are going to be a big thing in time to come, battling Obscura for their crown [8.5/10]

Track listing