I'm sure anyone who keeps up with the current metal scene and pays attention to what people say about it, the most common complaint is the lack of originality. There are some bands out there who try to be original and they produce some of the worst music ever heard (That would be about 98% of the modern "metal" bands), then there are some who have no originality whatsoever, but still manage to deliver some quality music. Then there are bands like Ectovoid, who inject a great amount of originality to an already rotten and archaic style that's been done to death (pardon the pun) for a very pleasurable listen. "Fractured in the Timeless Abyss" is the Alabama band's debut full-length and already I'm anxiously awaiting a follow-up because not only is this album's sound refreshing to hear, but it's also incredibly memorable.
If I had to pick one band that Ectovoid resemble the most, it would have to be Autopsy, but even that is a stretch because this group incorporates so many different influences, ranging from black metal to progressive metal. The guitar tone is incredibly reminiscent of the tone found on legendary records like "Severed Survival" and "Mental Funeral," but so are some of the riffs. Much like Autopsy, the riffs here just creep along, only the backdrop for them is bleaker than anything the legends before Ectovoid could create, making for some seriously great music. "Splintered Phantasm" has to be one of the best songs I've heard all year from any genre, as the balance of the eerie and dark atmosphere with the brilliant riffs and melodies is damn-near perfect. "Dark Clouds of Consciousness" is another stellar track as it opens with a riff that should sound familiar to any fan of Human-era Death before effortless shifting into a darker and doomier ensemble.
Like I said before, "Fractured in the Timeless Abyss" will eviscerate the listener from just about every end of the metal spectrum. "Chewing Through the Membranes of Time and Space" has plenty of unashamed black metal influence with the haunting tremolo sections and the random, but well placed shriek that pierces through the desolate atmosphere beautifully. "Murmurs From Beyond" is a somber and grim track that could've been recorded by a band like Funebrarum or Disma, as the death metal tremolos slither along switching between low sections and higher passages all the while the drums and bass plod along with the bellowing vocals. When all is said in done, I would find it baffling if a fan of any of the aforementioned bands didn't enjoy Ectovoid because these guys are one of the best death metal acts going today in the US, and something tells me that their domination of the scene could become global in time.
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Highlights
"Dark Clouds of Consciousness"
"Chewing Through the Membranes of Time and Space"
"Splintered Phantasm"
Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.