Album Review: Exocrine - "Maelstrom" 7.5/10 (Tech Death)

Written by Zax

Exocrine
Maelstrom
Prog/Tech Death
Naples, France
June 26, 2020
Unique Leader Records
7.5/10

Maelstrom is the 4th full length album from French technical death metal band Exocrine. This is their second record on Unique Leader Records and it’s set for release on June 26th. This band mixes so much stuff into their sound, it’s crazy.

I need you guys to follow me on this analogy here. If you grew up up poor, surely you remember a parent going through the fridge, finding random shit, and throwing it in a soup or casserole when they had nothing else to cook. This album is a bit like that. Tech death lead work? Throw it in the pot. Progressive song structures? Why not. Deathcore influences? Yep. Multiple trumpet solos and segments of ocean ambience? Absolutely. Now, that’s the best goddamn casserole and or soup I’ve ever had!

Okay, maybe I got a bit carried away there, but it seriously is very eclectic sonically. The different influences come together almost seamlessly. I say almost because there are time when the mix feels a little overstuffed, but otherwise it works great.

The lead work on the album is absolutely astonishing in typical tech death fashion. The song structures melt between prog and tech formulas. We get some occasional chunky deathcore riffs and a breakdown here and there that adds some groove and punch to the record. The trumpet solos that pop up pretty frequently are to die for, especially if you’re like me and you love horns in your extreme metal. Then there’s the ocean ambience blended in there, the sounds of waves violently crashing, certainly fits in with the cover.

Exocrine: Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook / Instagram

The vocals are crazy, the deathcore/slam techniques used make for an incredibly brutal experience. Despite my gripes with the mix, the production is all but perfect, this album does sound absolutely massive.

This is an amazing listen that I think will end up being a favorite among deathcore fans and tech death fans alike this year. Don’t miss it on June 26th!

7.5/10