Beats and yelling: Chaos Inception

Vengeance Evangel
Out 14^th February on Lavadome Productions

“Technical death metal” is a problematic label. Genre names often refer to some specific technique or dominant feature of the music itself. To apportion off a subgenre by simply asserting that it’s more technically demanding than its mothership can be something of a misnomer. Just exactly how or why is it more technical? Of course we all know why, and we all know that placing the emphasis here diminishes the importance of technical finesse in adjacent subgenres.

It’s this ambiguity around the technical death metal tag itself that has caused some pretty serious writers block in reviewing this album. And I’m struggling to articulate why. But after way more listens than Bandcamp is comfortable with, I’m going to attribute this to the fact that Chaos Inception are essentially trying to bring technical death metal in from the cold here. They shed its emphasis on raw technique, its information incontinence, its overbearingly active routine, its jagged mechanistic mien, it’s thematic emphasis on either sci-fi horror or gore in the purest, most indulgent sense. ‘Vengeance Evangel’ is an attempt to wrest technical death metal from these limitations of aesthetic specificity, reintegrating it into the warmth of more generalised death metal tropes. But in the process, something seems to be missing.

There is a clear identity here, alongside an ability and knowledge of the craft. But it all seems to be happening a bit too easily. For people seeking more complex experiences from their death metal before it boards the upper case Technical train (think Immolation, early Gorguts, or indeed Barnes’s own Monstrosity), this album is perhaps the most efficient delivery mechanism one could hope for. It’s an all inclusive package, the listener is left with total peace of mind, nothing is left to chance.

The result is an organically crafted album rife with imperious density. Each track flows with a clear articulation of themes, usually rented from an earlier thrash metal lineage, replete with heavy handed guitar lead accents, an emphasis on speed thrills which – although frequently chopped up – rarely meet with an extended run of tempo changes. Percussive vocal punches contrast nicely with the fluidity of the guitar material and solid cacophony of blast-beats. Bold and adventurous lead guitar work give frequent updates to contextualise and frame the atonal riff package, alongside more expansive and deviational solo work that covers off the majority of techniques found across death metal’s many chapters.

But much like an all inclusive holiday, chance, adventure, effort, unpredictability and happy surprises, all are somehow forced out of the music as opposed to emerging organically. Each track is a tightly packed, strictly administered zone. There is a clear sequence of theme, development, recapitulation, a bridge section contriving a sense of occasion out of this restrictive space, making it clear that events are still occurring despite the breakneck pace and efficiency in execution. The finale of ‘Thymos Beast’, reaching as it does for latter day Immolation’s sense of occasion, is an example par excellence of this, and indeed for sheer creativity and ability it’s hard to fault.

But, to extend the package holiday metaphor to breaking point, these events feel too preplanned, the house band booked by the venue to give the guests some entertainment, as opposed to the obscure backstreet restaurant discovered on a whim. Everything is exactly where it should be, and it’s clearly a delight to listen to. To the point that one ends up resenting the music for making life too easy. The tracks are lean to the point of anaemic, moments of anticipation scant, the lack of space leaves one gasping for breath.

Hence, ultimately, the source of my writer’s block. Chaos Inception have produced an album that on paper does everything right, grounding technical ambition with soul and intelligence. But from another angle they appear a little too locked into their vision. So little is left to chance that one comes away with a sense of amnesia. We know we enjoyed the experience, but are unable to articulate why. But, much like a holiday where you don’t have to think, it may simply be that we enjoyed the break. A break from the dearth of death metal of the quality Chaos Inception are capable of smashing out surrounding them on all sides. For that reason alone we should be thankful that they decided to return with an album as good as ‘Vengeance Evangel’ after such a long hiatus.