Death metal has long been the sort of beast that has been eating its own tail while always seeking fresh, new meat to devour if it means new flavors have been added to the palette. Sometimes, it succeeds in its endeavors to try something unordinary even if it means going against the grain and the tendencies that the genre itself has cultivated over the decades. Undoubtedly, many have tried and many more will do their best to do just that. Most, however, will struggle to come even close to what Octoploid has accomplished on its debut album.

Typically, whenever we see death metal taken to new reaches, the realms of progressive and extreme metal are a damn near limitless reach from which all sorts of inspiration can rise from. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different names to have come around in order to offer credence to that simply truth, it’s only on rare occasion that we get something that feels genuine and special. By far, Octoploid’s debut offers the freshest and most engaging work of such splendor that I’ve seen in years. A deeply progressive work that finds itself pulling many times over from the world of psychedelic rock almost as much as it does from 90s death metal, it would be an understatement to say that “Beyond the Aeons” is exceedingly odd upon initial investigation. Yet, by simply being itself and allowing the members to really explore new sonic territories and stretch their musical legs that “Beyond the Aeons” becomes an increasingly intoxicating experience with each listen offering new secrets through new paths that offer us fresh insight into what can still be done with what were once considered strict foundations of death metal. Now, in a time where things are far more fluid, Octoploid manages to escape stigma and become something that is well and truly their own.

While I will never complain about death metal that continuously heralds the old school and all that it still has to offer, we cannot deny the sheer march of progress to ensure that things continue to evolve and surprise us while the creative freedom of death metal is kept well intact. Octoploid is the raw embodiment of that. For all they dared within the shifting confines of “Beyond the Aeons”, normalcy is certainly not something one can expect in these eight tracks.

LISTEN to “Beyond the Aeons” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Octoploid on Facebook here.