Diskreet - Engage the Mechanicality (2021)

Death metal is like an overstuffed bread aisle, in which you have no idea which loaf brand you should take. With so many bands doing the same thing, it's hard to find the ones who stand out. Technical death metal is quite a polar genre; there's either good technical death metal, or bad one. Which one is Diskreet? I'd say it's the fresh, warm loaf straight out of the oven, made of perfectly grown wheat, but got infested by vermin at one point and then cleansed. It's an excellent album, but it lacks some stuff.

Skipping the short and banal atmospheric intro, we are quickly overcome by the evil spirits of the "Valley of Kings". Instantly, similarities are drawn to big name death metal acts such as Despised Icon and Aborted. The guitar-work provided by Gerren Andres and Malcolm Pugh (the genius that made A Loathing Requiem) is nothing short of highly extraordinary and amazing, with tracks like "Graves", "We Are Legion" and "Spinal Cord Collection" being the apex of the instrumental prowess Diskreet, and more specifically, their guitarists, have. Not to mention the amazing soloing found on "Bishop of War", "Serpent's Tongue" and "Valley of Kings" who except being technical, manage to be catchy, a trait which most tech-death bands lack. The strongest track is probably "Human Harvest" that blends beautiful harmony, furious brutality and brilliant technicality and even adds an amazing breakdown capable of breaking many skulls on its unmerciful quest.

Vocally, Babcock brings Diskreet to a new level of diversity and power in this album. Fans of the band will recognize a change for the better from "Infernal Rise". With Andy Taylor manning the skins, the drums are nothing short of furious and brutal pounding. His work is excellent, even though it has been heard before by many fans of the genre.

After all the pros of this monstrosity, there are merely two cons to point out. Production wise, the album is well done except the guitar sound, which is a bit thin, and could use some more bass support. Secondly and finally, as with most technical death metal albums, songs begin to sound similar throughout the album. This isn't a bad thing though, as the album as a whole is transformed into a single merciless assault, and individual tracks are still distinguishable.

The bottom line is this: Diskreet has created an absolutely punishing album filled to the verge with technical musicianship skillfully melded with enough brute strength to keep the listener screwed by the head for the entire trip. Nothing but unadulterated brutality.