Spain’s almighty death metal elite Avulsed have once returned with another slab of the most putrid & punishing death metal!
It may be a whole twelve years since they released an album, but Avulsed have been deep within the underground spreading the disgusting word of death metal! “Phoenix Cryptobiosis” might be some of the most brutal yet hooky music they have penned to date!
Opening the album “Limbs Regeneration” is the perfect instrumental to kick this massive album off. Its haunting organ keys fill you with suspense & dread before the band kicks in with this slow, doomy hammer to the face. A nice paced chugging before the double bass pedal action kicks in. Giving you a taste of how tasty the lead sections on the album are, guitarists Victor Dws & Alejandro Lobo give us a sneak peak to a few very sick but harrowing solo sections before the peak of the song rings out & we begin the true brutality of this album.
“Lacerate to Dominate” opens with a huge balls-out style riff. Invoking Bolt Thrower & Obituary, the band is getting their claws in early with the catchy riffs this album has to offer. The track as a whole is a fast-paced, almost trashy affair, but the chorus sections give you a moment of clarity & also add some blackened style guitar layering that gives the track a nice thick sound.
For all the cavemen out there, Blood Monolith lives up to its namesake. As vocalist & main brains behind the band, Dave Rotten’s lone gutturals announcing the track’s title before the band on a hare’s breath bludgeon you with their precision brutality. This track has an old-school Cannibal Corpse feel. A meaty & chunky riff has you hooked right from the first few bars & doesn’t let off. The chorus sections have these big open sections which give you a moment to breathe, but it isn’t until the band reach the bridge that there’s a moment where they slow it down nicely but somehow keep it savage as hell.
Hitting us at the album’s halfway point, the title track, “Phoenix Cryptobiosis”, turns up the technical death dial a few notches. Now that’s not to say the track is a slew of riffs; the band still keep the riffs simple, hard as hell & again, very catchy. But adding little flourishes to a riff’s tail end gives the track a different texture. Also, one of Avulsed’s biggest strengths is their ability to play with tempo & it feels natural.
This is key because of the superb performance by drummer Santiago Arroyo. Avulsed line up might have had a change up & some new blood has felt very fresh on this album & Arroyo’s drumming on it is just one of the many reasons why this album feels at home in Avulsed discography but also can stand up to the newer modern death metal bands.
Avulsed might have also saved the best for last. “Wandering Putrid Souls” might get the award for the earworm of the year so far. It starts with a solid anthemic style pounding intro before the chugging & blistering drumming starts in the verse section, but it’s when the chorus hits that one of the catchiest moments within recent death metal begins. As Rotten sings the song’s title, “Wandering Putrid Souls”, the band have this bouncing, back-and-forth riff that slams into you hard & had my head banging straight away. The track as a whole is a stellar effort but damn that chorus had me hitting repeat straight after the track had finished.
Avulsed are a very special band. They have been pretty much OGs when it comes to European death metal since their start in 1991, so it’s astounding that now, in 2025, they can write some of their best material this far into their career. With the new blood within the band, the time between releases has allowed the band to write a fantastic eleven-song album. Filled to the brim with brutal, giant & slamming tracks that will have you salivating to listen to it again when the album reaches its close.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Phoenix Cryptobiosis Is Out Via Xtreem Music On March 4th 2025
Line-up:
Dave Rotten – Vocals
Victor Dws – Guitars
Alejandro Lobo – Guitars
Alex Nihil – Bass
Santiago Arroyo “GoG” – Drums
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Further Information: