Ecdysis
Ecdysis becomes most interesting when Horrendous step away from the straightest route. Beneath the rough death metal sound are melodies which push the songs beyond a tidy exercise in old-fashioned aggression. The music remains heavy and clearly rooted in the early nineties, but the band regularly finds a different way into the next riff.
That starts with The Stranger. The guitars build on a firm foundation while giving the song more space than its first moments suggest. The strained, urgent vocals keep the music fierce even when the instruments become more melodic. This combination means the brighter guitar lines never smooth away all the edges.
The variety is not simply a matter of playing more complicated parts. The Vermillion puts the amplifiers aside for an acoustic instrumental. It provides a clear break between the heavier songs without feeling unrelated to them. At the other end of the record is Titan, where slower weight and a larger build-up receive more room. The technical turns in Resonator also show a band interested in more than repeating familiar riffs.
Not every song takes that extra step as convincingly. Some of the more straightforward passages feel ordinary beside those which build something from melody and heavier guitar work together. This makes Ecdysis a little uneven, although the riffs and tight playing are strong enough to keep it moving.
Its main strength is the curiosity Horrendous bring without losing their foundations. Ecdysis does more than celebrate death metal's past. It uses that past to create songs which, at their best, develop a character of their own. Melody, a quieter passage and a heavier release all have a useful place in the writing.
