The Zenith Passage - Solipsist

(CD Album Review)

****

Death Tech is big at the moment, and this band do it so well!!!

American Death Tech band The Zenith Passage unleash their début full length Solipsist, a complex multi layered Technical Death Metal album which showcases Death Metal in the modern age, while taking its cue from Cynic, later day Death, Necrophagist and Atheist it sit nicely among bands pushing the genres envelope such as Abysmal Dawn, Contrarian, Decapitated and Obscura.

Setting the pace with a two part opener 'Holographic Principle' this opening track pretty much sums the album up in a single track giving you a little taste of everything to come, there is brutality, odd time signatures, complex riffs and nice little spacey, melodic break before kicking in again leading into the next track 'Simulated Reality' which sees the band spend the rest of the album elaborating on all the corners of the spectrum of their sound.

It’s just less than fourty minutes which is just right as there is a lot going on and any longer will probably have made the album harder to digest. 'Deus Deceptor' has an awesome off time leading riff to rival Decapitated’s masterpiece 'Spheres of Madness'. It has a gorgeous melodic section in the middle. 'Dreamsphere' is a dark yet beautiful instrumental.

The album as a whole has this futuristic, space, Sci-Fi feel and just when you’re getting used to what you are hearing they throw in a curve ball and completely take you in another direction. 'Solipsist' complements Obscura’s Akroasis nicely but is a lot heavier and more aggressive. I think this is one of the leading debut albums of this year. The Zenith Passage are rising stars of Death Metal and if this album isn’t eventually regarded as a classic then a future release of theirs will be ones to watch.

Review by Joe Denby