Acephalix - Decreation

By Atanamar Sunyata. The killing instinct is strong in Acephalix. Decreation is a juggernaut, an instrument of inexorable devastation, a beautiful murder machine. Acephalix have upped the intricacy of their barbarous art without sacrificing an dram of savagery.

By Atanamar Sunyata.


The killing instinct is strong in Acephalix. Decreation is a juggernaut, an instrument of inexorable devastation, a beautiful murder machine. Acephalix have upped the intricacy of their barbarous art without sacrificing an dram of savagery.

The recipe here is straightforward and deadly: guitars tuned below the belt, distortion set to Sunlight in the red, drums dialed to D-beat destruction, riffs and vocals turned to fuck-all beastmode. The pitfalls to this approach are many, and flippy floppy death metal murk is the result of most bands' endeavors in this domain. Acephalix are not one of those bands.

The ever-so-thin layer of crust encasing these tracks recalls the incautious might of Bolt Thrower, a feat Acephalix have nailed since their inception. The judicious engine braking is a new feature, allowing the apparatus slow to a Symphonies of Sickness grind. It’s clear that traditional death metal tropes have been on guitarist Kyle House’s mind since he departed Vastum several years ago. All manner of fetid flourishes are splattered across the proceedings, including hammered on hemorrhages that evoke Cannibal Corpse more than a little. Chopped in half grooves feel full-on sunshine state circa 1990.

Acephalix 2011. Photos by Taylor Keahey.

If you’ve seen Acephalix live then you’ve probably tasted Daniel Butler’s sweat and his DNA is inside you and you’re definitely going to descend into bestial madness. That heart warming derangement is fully captured on these tracks, and you can’t help but join in on lunatic chants in “Suffer (Life in Fragments)” and “God is Laughing.” Just let go.

I can’t walk away without mentioning the dead sexy rhythm section. Dave Benson’s drumming is the nerve-center of the killing instinct. Without flash or mechanical enhancement, he lays down some organic and orgasmic beatings. It wraps the bloody package up all nice and tight.

“Excremental Offerings” is death metal perfection and a lock for one of the year’s best songs. Decreation is the best Acephalix album so far. Do the thing. Have a laugh. Become murder, if only for a while.