For those of you who have heard the new Fallujah track, and, like me, wasn’t that impressed, here is an alternative for you in the sophomore album from Bay Area act Aenimus.

With 11 tracks based on iconic horror stories (The Shining, IT, The Deadzone, Hannibal, etc) and a host of guests including Eddie Hermida (All Shall Perish, Suicide Silence),  Mike Semesky (Intervals, The Haarp Machine), Jamie Hanks (I Declare War), Brian James (Fallujah) and a Jamie King mix/master, Dreamcatcher is  the very epitome of modern progressive tech death/deathcore/djent metal that sits squarely in the same realms as Fallujah, Born of Osiris, Pathways, The Contortionist, After the Burial,  7 Horns 7  Eyes etc, but does everything impressively enough to be a major player and album in the crowded genre/scene.

Yes, there are starry keyboards, orchestral interludes,  clean vocals (well done ones might I add) and such to go along with the mix of choppy staccato riffs, burly death metal blasts, breakdowns and deep growls and screams, and it all seems a bit familiar (especially if you are familiar with Fallujah). But there is an airy, breath of confidence and competence that fill all 11 tracks.

“Before the Eons” is a solid opener, displaying about all the band’s skill sets, with a nice lead and ambient bridge in the middle. The big opening lurch of “Eternal” and the album’s first, well done use of clean vocals as well as 6 and a half minute “The Ritual” with its extended orchestral closeout (which happens again for another longer solid track,  “Between Silver and Iron”) makes for a solid opening trio. Then, later on, personal favorite, “The Dark  Triad” got my attention with its killer lope and dreamy lead work. “Overlook”  and “Caretaker” (with yet another lengthy orchestral closeout) are both more direct hefty, churning numbers to start, then it becomes apparent the band relies a little too much on the ambient, ethereal bridges and closeouts, and when “Second Sight” and “Day Zero” delivers another one and the closing title trick IS one, it starts to get a tad repetitive.

That all said, despite this being a pretty solid release that will certainly steal some of Fallujah’s thunder,I  kept thinking to myself,  “when are Vildjharta going to release a new album”?

[Visit the band's website]

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