Album Review: Krosis - A Memoir of Free Will 8 (Deathcore)

Written by Zax

Krosis
A Memoir of Free Will
Progressive Deathcore
North Carolina, USA
February 7, 2020
Unique Leader Records
8/10

Hey guys, I’m back from my short break from Noob Heavy, and I’m coming back with a bang, and by a bang, I of course mean the new Krosis record! Krosis is a technical deathcore band that formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2014. On February 7th they are releasing their brand new record A Memoir Of Free Will on Unique Leader Records. As someone who had the privilege of hearing the record early, trust me when I say this isn’t one you’re going to want to miss.

They conjure up a mixture of forward thinking multifaceted technical death metal and belligerent slamming deathcore. It’s played and produced extremely well without losing any of it’s grit or in your face intensity. They also bring in slight elements of mathcore here and there with panic chords and irregular time signatures, specifically on the track “An Intramural Madness.” The opening riff on that track wouldn’t be out of place on a Frontierer song.

Instrumentally it is mostly rooted in tech death, with bouncy spastic riffage, crazy complex lead work, and blastbeats galore. The bass on the album is incredibly well played, despite not being as textured as I’d like it to be, but that’s just nitpicking. Most of the core influence comes in with the vocals, which would be at home on a slam record. We get some very nasty guttural growls on here folks. The track “Battles Are Won Within” does however start and end with some thick chugging riffs for a very solid deathcore track.

Krosis: Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

One of my favorite things about this album is the way the unrelenting blistering insanity is often broken up by moments of peace, clarity, and melody only to erupt again. Not only does this add tons of atmosphere and dimension to the record, it just sounds badass. It’s a lot like what Warforged did on their last record if you caught that one.

Some highlights on the album include the hyper technical “Elegy For A Man Alive” and the damn near 11 minute long monolith of a title track that closes out the record.

8/10