In recent times there seems to have been a near endless influx of overtly technical, progressive metal bands, all seemingly trying to prove more complex than the next and in too often the case at the expensive of actual, memorable songs. New outfit Alkaloid do have a few aces up their sleeves however; namely Christian Muenzner and Hannes Grossman, formerly of tech masters Obscura. Joining them is a cast of huge pedigree containing members of the likes of Aborted, Noneuclid and Dark Fortress.

Debut album The Malkuth Grimoire (Apostasy) certainly proves a bold statement of intent, proving insanely complex throughout as it constantly veers through death metal, more melodic passages and even a Between The Buried & Me sense of jazz progression at times, ever changing throughout. ‘Cthulhu’ proves one of the albums more straightforward offerings with a mostly traditional death/doom metal foundation with layers of futuristic keys and notes on top. As technically impressive as it all is, it does require your full attention and several listens to begin to fully grasp and take it all in, and with its huge duration that in itself can be a tricky undertaking.

It may not be a ground breaking album in and of itself, as many its components and influences are easy to trace, many of which coming from its own alumni. That being said, it is all pulled off with precision and culminates in a promising debut, with enough skill involved to become a true heavyweight in the progressive Metal genre. Far from the most catchy or accessible, and its running time comes close to the ridiculous, but regardless, a very strong and very cohesive effort from an all star cast with a huge pedigree.

7.0/10

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CHRIS TIPPELL