So this a the French death metal band with a very similar name to the long running Italian death metal, Antropofagus band huh? Well, Ok, but the results are the same; damn solid tech/brutal death metal, although these guys are not quite as brutal and have a little more quirk and experimentation to them.

I have not heard the band’s 2011 debut, Beyond Phobia, so I can’t compare, but what we have here is some spider-y, jittery tech death metal with lots of skronky (I really need to find and thank whoever created that word), twisty, adhd addled stop start riffs, twangy bass and noodling solos. The vocals are a mid range growl/bark (with a few harsh spoken words here and there), not too guttural but not overly processed either, Just right.

The 35 minute, 10 song run time is also spot on for the style, neither overstaying its welcome or being gone in a blur. None of the tracks are world beaters, and Gorod is safe as France’s best tech death export, but they check all the boxes, despite a clinical production that makes the material seem a bit mechanical. The likes of the title track, “Paranoid Visions (pt 2)”, ” God ov Fire” and  “Voices” highlight the band’s blend of tech death paradigms and slivers of off kilter song writing that keep things just a shade different. But they can also deliver flat out Origin like blasts as shown by closer “Insania lupina”.

As a bonus the digipack version of the CD comes with a second CD that contains the band’s 2012 EP Between Fear and Madness as well as three other redone tracks, so you at least get some bang for your buck, even of the quality of the overall material is just solid.

[Visit the band's website]

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