Album Review: Decapitated - Blood Mantra

Their story will always be footnoted by tragedy, but 2011’s Carnival Is Forever emphatically began a transition for these tech-deathsters. Said LP growled from the rooftops that the Polish punishers had a legitimate second shot at a career.

The follow–up is a pulverising, sometimes hypnotic (Blindness) collection executed with head-swirling velocity and precision. Exiled In Flesh’s dissonance and Veins’ chugging aggression crackle with immediacy, not to mention weighty slabs of groove. Tastefully inserting eerie, pseudo-black metal ambience, as well as curious tempo change-ups a la the title track further distinguish them from numerous other brutal contenders.