There’s something about the outer fringes of the underground that have always fascinated me. Where ideas are not turned down and damn near anything is possible so long as someone has the will to bring it about in whatever form it decides to take shape. It’s not terribly often that we see bands from those fringes come forward into what little light we already have throughout most of the metal underground, but there’s always something truly terrifying about the menace these bands carry with them in many instances. Having established themselves as one name in the unknown reaches that demands to be heard, Discordant Meditation’s dark craft has only been honed as they made their new album.

While there are some truly crazy acts out there that are bending the very fabric of what it means to be death metal, it doesn’t take much to go against the grain and craft something that’s bold and interesting from top to bottom so long as the band in question is able to see their vision out to the fullest. From the beginning, Discordant Meditation has made itself known as a writhing band that’s not to be taken lightly lest their schizophrenic creations grab you right by the throat and pull you under their dark tide, and “Tragic Creature” is almost certainly their most accomplished work of truly demented madness yet. Eight tracks that wouldn’t stop for even the sundering of the planet itself, this is a wildly intense creation that’s pulling in all directions and never once letting up as Discordant Meditations more than lives up to its reputations. A swirling mass of chaos that seeks only to consume all existence before finally turning on itself in an act of desperation, a work like this in all of its dark psychedelia and immense technicality is what it means to peer into the mind of the truly insane with Discordant Meditation taking careful consideration to bring to life a hell so detailed and horrific that “Tragic Creature” quickly takes on a life of its own. Twisted in its own inner chaos and lashing out in all different manner while the shifting cues and unpredictable songwriting only add a further level of authenticity to the insanity we witness in this album, “Tragic Creature” more than lives up to its own title, the style at large, and the reputation that Discordant Meditation has garnered for itself up to this point.

It’s always a question as to what kind of start any new year is going to have, and it’s out of the ever-crazy realm of experimental death metal that 2025 is already off to a pretty solid start with Discordant Meditation ensuring that the year starts on a high note. This is the kind of mind-breaking madness that many associate with the style for all that it can be with this being a band that has always been proficient at delivering such intensity from top to bottom without compromise for those who find themselves before such a dominating force. Even then, it’s clear that Discordant Meditation has been building up to a work like “Tragic Creature” with all that it has to offer indicative and representative of the chaos that this band has always been masterful at summoning and controlling.

“Tragic Creature” releases on January 24th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Tragic Creature” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Discordant Meditation on Instagram here.