The recent swarm of modern über-tech über-brutal death metal has been received well. The shitmunchers out there in metal-land who want it heavy and fast and crazy as humanly possible have been overwhelmed with top quality releases providing satisfaction. US contenders Odious Mortem have added their insanity to the pile for the maniac headbangers to feast on in the form of a full on barrage of soulless mechanical crushing mayhem.

Heavyweight apocalyptic imagery conjured by the bleak sci-fi lyrics is married with the endless assault of tech-brutality on Cryptic Implosion. Because Odious Mortem exhibit mind-boggling dexterity and mould their metal into constant stream of brutality the songs do blur slightly. But how can we complain when searing riffs come rampaging, riding the fierce kinetics of unyielding percussion? It’s like constantly trying to bash yourself through a brick wall and it’s bloody fantastic.

Only slightly less relentless and all-consuming than Origin but in a similar vein, Cryptic Implosion’s forward motion is dominating and waits for no man as wave after wave of punishment bursts forth. This album is about the sheer force rather than the tapestry of melody that say, Necrophagist would weave. Having said this, the songs are embellished with stellar solos that emerge furiously searching the sky with their lashing limbs, but they do not consume the whole track. Also perfectly crafted are the breakdowns (when the party eventually slows down!), for example the massive moment on “Gestation of Worms” when the astounding solo gives way, there are two rounds of heavy-as-fuck malicious chug, perfectly timed, not too long and provides a stable platform for the second half of the song to launch itself.

Cryptic Implosionis a step up in production since 2005’s Devouring the Prophecy which is always a bonus in such a complex niche of metal. However refined the sound may be, this is to avoid if you don’t like your metal at break-neck speed and written in a chaotic and unsystematic manner. Cryptic Implosionis hard to keep up with at times which you can see as a bonus when you discover more and more each time you listen, or as a hindrance brought by the overwhelming intricacy. Don’t fret out there death metal boys and girls, this is a corker.

myspace.com/odiousmortem