Yet, it is Apus’s powerful delivery and razor-sharp focus that impress most. I”-the former of which contains soaring string sections, while the latter builds to an epic, almost-melodic crescendo-and the dissonant, Ulcerate/Gorguts influence remains a staple throughout the record. There remains a progressive edge to tracks like “Swarm” and “Master Of Obsolescence, Pt. Whereas many (read: most) tech-death albums can become a chore to digest, and while Vela was very much an exhausting listen (in the best way possible), Apus is an absolute aural delight. Although the album is nearly twice the length of the band’s debut, the added refinement and more direct-delivery of Apus renders it utterly gripping throughout its ample length. After the malevolent, Ulcerat-ian tones of “Year Zero” set the scene for the onslaught that is to come, “Swarm” violently launches out of the speakers, before dragging you, transfixed, through the record’s remaining tracks.
Apus is the kind of record that simply demands your attention. However, the combination has rarely been put together as well as it has here. The record’s crushing mix of break-neck tech leads and punishing grooves isn’t really anything that hasn’t been done before within the realms of overly brutal, technical death metal. The songs on Apus are simply more refined than those of The Schoenberg Automaton’s previous output-more direct and recognisable, yet no less impactful or impressive.Īpus sounds absolutely huge. 1 However, this “simplification” of the band’s sound is hardly a watering-down. Whereas the band’s sound could previously be more-readily likened to the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan and (earlier) Meshuggah, Apus is essentially a cut and dry tech death record, more comparable to the likes of Necrophagist, Origin, Decrepit Birth or Beyond Creation than anything that could be accurately described with a “–core” suffix. A year later, the band uprooted themselves from Australian soil and relocated to Vancouver, Canada, where it seems they have spent the intervening year refining their sound-both in terms of capability and delivery-and returned with one hell of a second effort in Apus.Īpus largely does away with the more experimental/progressive elements of The Shoenberg Automaton’s sound in favour of a more straightforward, technical death metal approach. The flirtations with a number of different styles and progressions come off as genuine and exciting, and a reason that The Schoenberg Automaton is probably going to be a name that you hear plenty more of in the future.The Schoenberg Automaton turned, twisted and melded quite a few heads with their 2013 debut, Vela-a stunning display of tech-metal and mathcore chops, combined with all the inherent savagery deathcore and the more-extreme hardcores have to offer. Stepping up their game considerably from their debut VELA, Apus shows much technical prowess but never at the expense of the song. Everything is seemingly done in order to keep things brutal, yet there’s never a spot over the 56-minute runtime that feels unneeded or bland. “Don’t Be Disputin’ With Rasputin” uses a balance of frenetic speed and technicality with some massive breakdowns, as well as some great basslines and synth to really diversify the song – but one thing it has from beginning to end is plenty of aggression, and that ultimately seals the deal with The Schoenberg Automaton. There’s a fair bit of chuggy groove action, some accelerated blasting, effective tech injections, and even some atmosphere as you peruse the track. If you take a look at the track, “Withering,” you can get a semblance of how things are tied together. There’s an overall design to be had, and it always aims for brutality. But the songwriting is very tight, and there is never a tug of war in regards to the band moving from riff to riff. But, the main point: it’s good!įrom deathcore to math-y influences to melodic and tech death – Apus will keep you guessing as to The Schoenberg Automaton’s mater plan.
We hear the different influences and badly want to pigeonhole the band into a specific section and forget the point behind it: was the music any good? The Schoenberg Automaton is back with their second album, Apus, and there’s such a great collection of influences and design that it’s hard to put your finger on it. Oftentimes it’s so easy to get tripped up in the classification game.
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