Infrared Horizon (Profound Lore) is a fine title for Artificial Brain’s sophomore offering. It’s cool in that sci-fi/horror kind of sensibility, but judging by the music other titles come to mind. I was thinking more along the lines of Machines of Hate, or Massive Ordinance Air Blast. The Long Island boys went in hard on LP number two. Hard like a cybernetic organism that just became sentient and is convinced that mankind is teetering towards obsolescence.

How does Infrared Horizon stand out in a field of great, but at times musically sterile Technical Death Metal? Well, the best way I can describe it is that all the musical components here are jacked to the tits. Gorguts’ Colin Marson provides a robust and clear production, but with no artificial (no pun intended) enhancements. Vocalist Will Smith’s low-end sounds like long clogged plumbing that is finally being drained. All the while Keith Abrami thrashes his kit with no regard for self-preservation. On ‘Estranged from Orbit’ he goes in with so much vigor, I fear he may spontaneously combust, Spinal Tap style.

But they’re not the only ones seemingly running on high-powered methamphetamines, as the guitar tandem of Dan Gargiulo (currently also in Revocation) and Jon Locastro is taking no prisoners. ‘Fleeting in Delirium’ packs more lightning speed shred than most death metal bands can hope to achieve. ‘Vacant Explore’ and the aforementioned ‘Estranged from Orbit’ also show that Gargiulo and Locastro have a healthy amount of black metal in their musical diet. ‘Graveyard of Lightless Planets’ backs up its metal-as-fuck name with riffing that made even my wrists ache.

Infrared Horizon is a reminder of not needing to reinvent the musical lexicon and focusing on the elevating the material. Take a look through Sumerian or Unique Leader’s roster and you’ll notice that we’ve got enough Technical Death Metal to last us until the end times. But you’ll be hard pressed to find bands playing Death Metal as urgently as Artificial Brain.

8.0/10

HANSEL LOPEZ