Though ostensibly credited, or at least billed, to a "band" under the
Sophicide moniker, 2012's
Perdition of the Sublime album is actually (almost *) the work of a single German youth named Adam Laszlo, who was apparently responsible for composing, performing, recording, mixing, and producing this impressive smorgasbord of technical death metal at his own home studio… Jealous? What's more, this braniac maniac avers that the entire enterprise was inspired by modern society's "murder of wisdom" (i.e. sophicide), which he proceeds to reject and counteract with the intellectual and instrumental prowess reflected in these songs (religion, as expected, being dead-center in his crosshairs) -- all the more food for thought as one goes about the challenge of digesting the many intricacies on hand. These involve the typical sensory overkill spearheaded by warring parts, percussive polyrhythms, and guttural roars judiciously interrupted by athletic fret-board fingering exercises, cascading melodic runs reminiscent of thrash, acoustic interruptions, plus the rare glimpse of keyboards and that more rhythmic, so-called "djent" riffing made famous by
Meshuggah. Any combination of these elements is liable to crop up unexpectedly on a given song, but the best amalgams generate standouts like "The Art of Atrocity," "Within Darkness," "Lafayette's Deception," and "Dawn of a New Age," all of them showcasing the meticulous thoughtfulness that went into making such detailed work so readily appealing. Speaking of details, if you're wondering about the surreptitious "almost *" up above, it addresses the only additional musician associated with this album in very discreet fashion, and that's former Dissolving guitarist Sebastian Bracht, to whom we will arbitrarily attribute (pending further evidence) the
Marty Friedman-esque, almost neo-classical solos heard on the title cut and "Execration," among others. One thing is certain:
Perdition of the Sublime excels in the transcendent guitar work category (see the jaw-dropping versatility of "Freedom of Mind," to name but another example), and that of course is saying something in the world of heavy metal. It may also say something about the advantages of masterminding a work of this nature solo, rather than painstakingly teaching and rehearsing other musicians to handle the parts. Damn, this Laszlo guy may really be onto something! ~ Eduardo Rivadavia