Although there is a slight change in sound compared to the band’s previous release “Decreation”, the general tonality signifies that Acephalix puts focus on chunky guitars. The album’s opener “Theothanatologist” gives us a whole scale of stomping grooves and upbeat tempos, and heavy guitars rumble with a barbarous growl. The extra infusion of blast beats and brutality on the following track “Godheads” adds a ferocious scale, though I would say that the songs this time are more focused, Acephalix managed to inject heavy dynamics. There is unrelenting savageness in how the vocals are delivered the drums instantly knock you out with d-beat, and the instruments are well-fitted with the putrid growls.

“Theothanatology” drew inspiration from U.S. death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse, there are also some hints of classic Swedish death metal. The 8 tracks of the album span 31 minutes, the guitar tone is brutal and aggressive which brings many hints from bands like Vastum and Six Feet Under. The 4th album has some remarks about the songwriting, musically the band sounds tight, and the riffing on the album is heavily steeped in the retro style of American death metal. Acephalix combines plenty of energetic riffs, while some of the songs remind me of Vastum. The spoken passages on the third track “Abyssal” offers a filthy dosage of grooves and the dual vocals here are the highlight of this song. Loud guitars and powerful drums are injected with rotten trademarks of filthy death metal.

There are some occasional blast beats, but mostly the songs settle in mid-pacing style, the framework of the following track “Postmortem Punishment” provides crunchy proportions with the range of battering drums accelerating the scale of the instruments. With the double bass drums and riffs utilizing a barbarous style of brutal death metal, without running short of gimmicks, the rhythm guitars exploits some ear-catching melodies on “Innards of Divinity”. Acephalix proves that the five years of hiatus were enough to restructure their sound, although not entirely, I’d say the album is quite convincing. For all its lethal stunts and hefty riffs, “Theothanatology” emphasizes old-school brutality.

The uncompromising intensity this time seems to be doubled by the punishing slab of savage drum beats, “Pristine Scum” is no exception to the band’s trademark it offers a fierce and relentless tenacity from the focused drumming work. The album is a heavy and mid-pacing crusher that pulls you straight into a moshing circle, significantly Acephalix knows when to lower the scale of brutality and when to unleash d-beats, in some tracks the whole tempo seems to come down abruptly and there are plenty of striking displays of brutality. “Defecated Spirit” slams into unrelenting grooves and the drums get forward, providing a slab of solid battering to back the gruff vocal delivery.

Acephalix never tends to change its particular style throughout the album, on the contrary the guitars inject some raw aggression. The riffs play a major aspect in maintaining the engaging tempo, with hardcore elements working as a vital part in simulating the tempo of the songs, Acephalix succeeded in releasing a bold record. Closing with the longest track on the album, “Atheonomist” leans toward mid-paced death metal, but it shows how the band is brutal in its intensity. Acephalix on its 4th album redefines its personality without sacrificing the hardcore influences that have been instilled into its sonic formula, the quintet is close to rebuilding a solid-sounding death metal style, and hopefully, they don’t take long to release a new album next time.

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