British Columbia, Canada, sci-fi tech deathers Exterminatus, released their latest, “Echoes from a Distant Star: Part I,” in April of this year. This album is an absolute onslaught of brutal and highly technical death metal, with lots of variety that rarely strays from warp speed. Their name is a Warhammer 40k term, and their songs draw influences from a broad array of sci-fi authors and shows/movies. I love seeing a band enthusiastically embrace their theme and do it well, creating a universal atmosphere to go along with the ear bursting riffs. The technical prowess of each musician is impressive, and the song compositions are varied and intense while incorporating plenty of melody and atmosphere to go along with the vicious pace. The album has 7 original songs plus a crazy cover of the Falco 80’s vehicle “Rock Me Amadeus,” making for a tight, intense, if somewhat brief, listening experience, that is both satisfying and yet leaves me wanting more.

Things kick off with some atmospheric bass in “Cosmic Disturbance” before ripping your head off and blazing ahead. The drumming is phenomenal (common trait on the album), effortlessly changing speeds and rhythms as the song evolves. I don’t think the guitarist’s or bassist’s fingers ever stop moving, with plenty of headbang-inducing chunky riffing, circle pit speed riffing, and nice leadwork. The vocals are mostly in the gutteral category though occasionally shriek, providing a steady auditory attack that matches the music perfectly. “Primordial Sea” wastes no time racing out of the gate, but the band introduces some nice groove and thrashy throwdowns throughout that give both guitars and bass a chance to shine. The drums are absolutely relentless, and the back and forth in low and high vocals adds variety. 

“Starbound” starts off with an incredibly melodic guitar lead over an atmospheric backdrop. It then drops the hammer with a mid-paced crushing driving riff, with lead guitar adding texture, before going into overdrive in a sweep and lead fest. The music does a nice job mirroring the feel and build of the lyrical story being built, and the song is a great example of the band keeping you on your toes and never knowing what is next. “Suffer in Silence” has a bit of an old school death metal vibe to start, but mixes in nice groove and guitar lead to add texture. The ending haunting piano is unexpected but serves as a nice transition into next song, “The Cloud.” This song has a very proggy feel to match its insane technical prowess, giving me Fallujah vibes, with some killer guitar solos, plenty of timing shifts, and wow, how many times can I compliment the drums? This is easily a favorite of mine.

“New Theia” starts with some crazy dueling guitar leads over a hefty guitar riff and big orchestration, settles into more straightforward tech death, and then meanders through many twists and turns as they unleash another incredibly heavy attack on your cochlea. “The Signal” is the final original song, treating your ears to a feast of guitar licks and riffs, tempo and dynamics shifts, and a big feel before closing things out with synth-driven atmosphere that makes you feel like you are indeed on a spaceship. And though I feel the Falco cover is out of place, the band does a great job transitioning into it and maintaining their spacey sound amidst the tech death.

If this is Part 1, I can’t wait to hear the next chapter! The ride is over quite fast, but it is one well worth taking. I am hoping to catch them live at some point in the near future, and in the meantime, I will continue revisiting this album and recommend that you do too!

Original Instagram review Part 1
Original Instagram review Part 2