7th December 2023

Review: “On the Advancement of Decay” by Sublation

Fifteen months after debut album “The Path to Bedlam” left scorch marks upon the tarmac in it’s critically acclaimed wake the return of Philadelphia Pennsylvania’s Technical Death Metal duo Sublation with sophomore effort “On the Advancement of Decay” feels like a perfectly timed swing of the Executioner’s axe. Once again adorned by artwork from Misha Mono, produced, engineered and mixed by drummer, programmer and vocalist Danny Piselli and mastered by Sound Splitter Studio (Teeth Curter, Dweller, Kinda Alright), it seems that while somethings change, somethings remain very much the same. Piselli is of course joined by co-conspirator, guitarist, bassist and vocalist Max Svalgard, the pair once held dear as half of Fisthammer…

In the build up to the release of the album, Svalgard and Piselli described “On the Advancement of Decay” as “An experimental EP that shifts metal subgenres as it switches production styles” which can’t be true for no other reason than the record is seven cuts for seven deadly sins. That makes it a full album in everyone’s book but it’s an argument as old as time and we digress. It is true to say that opening cut “Congenital Putrescence” has the feel of the Avant-garde and Extreme Metal about it as technical lead riffs fly in all directions at breakneck pace, the dark melodies they offer up an intriguing prospect. The vocals are the heaviest part of that vicious little ditty, the pounding kit work coming a photo finish close second and that’s a narrative which continues into “Like a Fire That Consumes All Before It” which has some truly blood gargling moments. Fierce, fiery downright ferocious Sublation are a well oiled machine, their performances raising the hairs on the back of the neck before a slick transition into a dark acoustic melody to finish on a sublimely melancholic high. “Eclipse Awe” features a guest vocal from Rocco Minichiello of Release the Blackness who will be familiar to lovers of the bands first album “The Path to Bedlam” having featured on “Hypnotic Regression“. His return is a welcome one, enhancing the continuity between the pair of records while the cut itself is a shade darker with an epic and majestic quality to it that may catch a few fans off guard. “Idiopathic” then flips the switch and changes the guitar tone, driving down the darkness with an almost feral vocal performance as it dances around the cerebral cortex like an axe murderer preparing to strike. An unstoppable rampage of pure evil in Death Metal disguise, the rhythmic prowess and earworm main riff of this one is second to none, the richness of the dark melody that brings the cut to it’s bitter end a real touch of class.

Offering up some Blackened Death Metal with an atmospheric conjuring of the darkest order, “Born Out of a Whim” is a white knuckle roller coaster ride of reckless abandon. Piselli is restless and relentless in producing a pulverising kit performance that feels like an audition for Rotting Christ or Behemoth, the whirlwind creating a vortex of destruction that ensures Svalgard has calloused hands. Curiously the intricate and vibrant melodies are broken by a wave of chug, giving everything lethal injection of menace. The vocals on “This Little Death” are shriller and ingrained into the mix, at times hard to distinguish against the soundscape of sonic immolation reminiscent of bands like Harakiri for the Sky but the dull ache of the melody is utterly majestic as the band seemingly completely transcend their Technical Death Metal roots. The eight minute “We were never meant to live this long” brings the album to a fitting conclusion, an epic instrumental piece with shoegazing qualities that feels like staring at the sun and embracing death with open arms. Twisting and contorting, Sublation are the bastard child that refuses to sit still. Whether this marks a new direction or is simply a side step remains to be seen but either way it demonstrates they can turn their hands to anything they desire and make it work, this Blackened Death Metal offering being of the highest order [8/10]

Track Listing