Distention – Nothing Comes From Death

As a long time fan of technical death metal, I’ve gotten to explore many of the different forms it can morph itself into, from the ludicrous speed of Archspire to the eclectic compositional complexity of First Fragment or the raw aggression of Obscura. And the pattern I’ve extracted is that I seem to value precision, melody and clear production over raw brutality, although I have a sweet tooth for the gnarly stuff as well. This is why the modern movement of technical death metal with colorful artworks, sci-fi vibes and clear production clicks with me more than the monstrosity of classics like Suffocation, Cryptopsy or Dying Fetus. It seems more coherent, articulate and sophisticated.  But apparently, even among the younger tech-death bands, the roots are not forgotten. Distention is a strange new appearance, fitting nicely into the tapestry of the modern tech-death scene despite relying highly on compositional tropes that have probably been around for at least 2 decades. I’m not sure how they did it, but this band’s debut record, “Nothing Comes from Death” somehow places itself right on the border between old and new.

Distention – …Of Disaster and Exile

Distention’s writing style is rooted in dynamic riffage laid down over a foundation of ludicrous machine-gun style drum delivery. The technicality and precision in playing on all instruments is as polished and articulate as it gets, but something about the relentless writing style makes it feel like an ADHD-diagnosed non-medicated younger cousin to Dying Fetus. Despite the clarity of the production, there aren’t a lot of added effects, so the music feels stripped down and visceral. The extreme drum section along with the hyperactive riffage, clunky bass sound and raw, monochrome mid-range vocal performance make a very clear statement about the technical ability and ferocity of the band members, but that alone tends to get tiresome and monotone quite fast. And the fact that it is the main component in this album’s composition, is probably the biggest downside for me. However, despite fully embracing their identity as fast and angry boys, the fellas in Distention know how to mix it up, particularly by dropping into typical slam/death metal sections as you would find in Suffocation. The songs then become alternations between relentless battering and dips of head-bangable chonk that allow the listener to stay engaged for longer. And those really are the 2 main personalities in this album. Get ambushed by machine guns or bang your head!

Distention – Toxic Speculations

At the surface it seems quite straightforward, and I think any death metal fan could get into it simply because it slaps! But on a few occasions, they show there’s a bit more to their craft than meets the eye. The very first riff in the album actually gets a trippy rhythm going, throwing hints at prog metal which is further enhanced by the oddly-paced vocals. Such moments are also scattered every now and then through the album, although I wouldn’t go as far as to call Distention a progressive metal band. The melodic aspect, although quite scarce, is also very striking. Guitar lead melodies are sometimes used to connect various parts of the songs, or just to expand the soundscape with a dark and evil edge. And a few songs give us fully developed guitar solos (‘Of Disaster and Exile’, ‘Exit’, ‘Blight’). And the album closer, ‘Nothing Changes’, seems to dip its toes into Gojira territory with some scrapes and galloping riffs, replacing the dynamic hyperactivity that dominates the album. It’s a really cool way to mix it up at the end, and it really had me convinced that this would be my favorite song, if only it hadn’t ended on a fade out. This is a personal preference so I will make no case that the album is ‘worse’ because it uses a fade-out, but damn I wish they would have found a more creative way to wrap it up.

Distention – Nothing Changes

A few listens into this album, my feelings are mixed. In a way, it does a great job of bringing together the old and the new, and I can totally see it as a gateway for the older generations of metalheads to familiarize themselves with the new wave of tech-death, or vice-versa. It has that old-school brutality, but in a more polished wrapper. However, in the process of doing that, it becomes a bit less convincing in ferocity, and it can come across as inferior to the classics, while at the same time not really turning a lot of heads in the tech-death scene today. It succeeds tremendously at stepping into different niches, but it does it at the cost of failing to clarify what its point and identity is. As a debut record, it is impressive, and surely enjoyed it, but the feeling I’m left with is that I need this band to put out another record with a bit less experimentation and more character, in order to fully put themselves on the map!
Track List:

1. Transparent Language (01:50)
2. Manic Mental Failure (04:30)
3. Toxic Speculations (03:42)
4. Blight (03:49)
5. …Of Disaster and Exile (03:11)
6. Exit (03:53)
7. Decaying (04:23)
8. Nothing Changes (04:44)