Album Review – Lost Brethren / Dimensional Rift EP (2023)

This UK-based Sci-Fi inspired Technical Death Metal entity will crush your senses with their brand new 14-minute EP from outer space.

A Sci-Fi inspired Technical Death Metal band formed in 2011 in Peterborough, a cathedral city in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England, Lost Brethren are unleashing upon us a pulverizing EP titled Dimensional Rift, following up on their 2019 full-length opus The Abduction. Mixed and mastered by Stefano Morabito at 16th Cellar Studio and displaying a futuristic artwork by Moga Alexandru of Kogaion Art, the four-track EP continues to deliver the characteristic heaviness, intricacy and fury from the band’s four full-length albums, showcasing all the dexterity by vocalist Adam Brown, guitarist Adrien Crozet, and guitarist and bassist Ant Deane, with the demolishing support of Polish drummer Krzysztof Klingbein (10 Plagues, Deathspawn) as a guest musician.

A wicked, very entertaining intro about extraterrestrial forms suddenly explodes into the band’s furious Death Metal in Terrestrial Ashes, with Adam roaring like an otherworldly creature supported by the crushing drums by Krzysztof, feeling absolutely demolishing yet extremely technical. And Adrien and Ant distill all their dexterity and passion for heavy music armed with their strident riffs and solos in Intergalactic Reprisal, kicking some ass form start to finish while inviting us all to slam into the pit; whereas the title-track Dimensional Rift takes their unrelenting Technical Death Metal to a whole new level spearheaded by the deep guttural by Adam and the always inhumane beats by Krzysztof, not to mention how striking and incendiary their guitars sound once again. Lastly, we face another three-minute metal attack titled Nefarious Reign, with their intricate riffage bringing even more dementia to the overall result, or in other words, it’s in-your-face, no shenanigans Technical Death Metal from outer space.

In summary, Lost Brethren are ready to kick your freakin’ arse with their newborn 14-minute beast, and if you want to show those UK death metallers your utmost support you can follow them on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, stream all of their infernal creations on Spotify, and of course purchase Dimensional Rift from their Big Cartel as a CD or as a special CD + T-shirt bundle, as well as from Apple Music. The combination of Sci-Fi and Death Metal always brings to our ears some amazing music, and Lost Brethren seem to have mastered that art with all of their releases, including of course their vibrant new EP.

Best moments of the album: Dimensional Rift.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Grindscene Records

Track listing
1. Terrestrial Ashes 4:27
2. Intergalactic Reprisal 3:09
3. Dimensional Rift 3:09
4. Nefarious Reign 3:03

Band members
Adam Brown – vocals
Adrien Crozet – lead guitar
Ant Deane – rhythm guitar, bass, theremin

Guest musician
Krzysztof Klingbein – drums

Album Review – ADE / Rise of the Empire (2019)

Armed with their furious and technical Death Metal, they came, they saw and they conquered, beautifully narrating the epic rise of the Roman Empire.

Focusing on the past and the origin of the customs of their homeland Italy, inspired by the ancient Greek music mainly used by Romans in war situations, fusing it with modern Death Metal with lyrics written in English and Latin, and also featuring traditional instruments which give their technical music a strong epic touch, Ancient Roman Death Metal army ADE is back in action with a brand new album entitled Rise of the Empire, aiming at educating the listeners a little more on the ancient history of Rome, more specifically on the age of Caesar. In case you have never heard of ADE before, I highly recommend you grab your sword and shield and get ready to head into the battlefield together with the band, because that’s the only way you can enjoy Rise of the Empire to the fullest.

Produced by Stefano Morabito at 16th Cellar Studios and featuring a stylish artwork by Italian artist Fabio Timpanaro (Storm.Studio), Rise of the Empire is still entrenched in traditional old school Death Metal, however presenting a more mature yet aggressive sound suitable for old and new generations of fans interested in the Ancient Rome and Epic and Technical Death Metal. Now comprised of guitarist and only remaining founding member Fabivs, together with newcomers Diocletianvs on vocals, Nerva on the guitar, Cornelivs on bass and Decivs on drums, this talented band formed in 2007 in Rome is on fire in the follow-up to their 2016 album Carthago Delenda Est, sounding a lot more refined, more pulverizing and, consequently, more exciting than ever.

The cinematic intro Forge the Myth warms us up for the war that’s about to begin in Empire, bringing forward tons of heaviness with epic elements in the background and poetic lyrics based on historical facts (“Pieces of the world were born in Rome / Seeping into memories like water in the loam / From the mind of Caesar, seed of the empire / Far from the senate and its opulent liars”). Decivs sounds utterly furious on drums, while Diocletianvs roars and growls like a beast, resulting in a beyond fantastic way to kick off the album. In The Gallic Hourglass the band continues to march into the battlefield led by Fabivs’ and Nerva’s slashing riffs, with all folk elements adding an extra touch of mystery to their pulverizing Death Metal while at the same time sounding very cohesive and dense from start to finish; whereas Diocletianvs’ roars get deeper and darker in Chains of Alesia, a mid-tempo, utterly heavy chant by ADE showcasing razor-edged riffs and intricate beats, not to mention the flammable solos by Fabivs and Nerva.

Even more imposing and obscure, Once the Die Is Cast presents a gargantuan amount of progressiveness added to the band’s core Death Metal, where Cornelivs and Decivs, armed with their respective bass and drums, couldn’t sound more thunderous and incendiary, or in other words, simply bang your heads nonstop to this lesson in extreme music infused with pure epicness. And ADE keep blasting their whimsical sounds in Gold Roots of War, a neck-breaking tune where Fabivs and Nerva decimate their strings in great fashion, followed by Ptolemy Has to Fall, where the band gets back to a rawer and more direct sonority while still presenting all of their trademark background elements, pulverizing beats and crisp guitar solos, all embraced by the warrior-like vociferations by Diocletianvs. ADE never get tired of smashing their instruments, always with a lot of harmony, precision and feeling, resulting in enfolding extreme creations like Suppress the Riot, where Decivs is absolutely ruthless with his venomous drums.

Veni Vidi Vici, by far one of the most electrifying of all songs in Rise of the Empire and my favorite moment of the album, brings forward the enraged growls by Diocletianvs while the rest of the band delivers a stunning fusion of demolishing Death Metal with folk and percussion sounds, and following a similar pattern tribal beats ignite the enigmatic The Blithe Ignorance, alternating between semi-acoustic and introspective moments and the traditional rage from Death Metal, with its guitar riffs cutting your skin deep mercilessly. Lastly, in Imperator we’re treated to an amalgamation of heavy styles such as Progressive and Epic Metal spearheaded by Decivs’ fulminating drums, while Fabivs, Nerva and Cornelivs are in absolute sync with their stringed weapons, putting a beautiful and climatic ending to the album.

In a nutshell, Rise of the Empire, available for a full listen on Spotify and on sale from several locations such as ADE’s own BandCamp and Big Cartel (in digipack format or as a special pack containing the digipack CD plus an exclusive T-shirt), the Rockshots Records’ webstore, Apple Music and Amazon, is an excellent choice for fans of extreme music that also enjoy a good story behind all the devastation being blasted from the guitars, bass and drums, positioning ADE as one of the most interesting names of the current underground scene in Italy (needless to say, you should start following them on Facebook for news, tour dates and other awesome shenanigans) and, more important than that, keeping the flames of the always grandiose Roman Empire alive through their thrilling and technical music. They came, they saw, and they conquered, no doubt about that.

Best moments of the album: Empire, Once the Die Is Cast and Veni Vidi Vici.

Worst moments of the album: Gold Roots of War.

Released in 2019 Extreme Metal Music/Rockshots Records

Track listing
1. Forge the Myth 1:28
2. Empire 4:25
3. The Gallic Hourglass 3:42
4. Chains of Alesia 3:33
5. Once the Die Is Cast 4:48
6. Gold Roots of War 3:14
7. Ptolemy Has to Fall 5:07
8. Suppress the Riot 4:22
9. Veni Vidi Vici 4:31
10. The Blithe Ignorance 5:14
11. Imperator 3:28

Band members
Diocletianvs – vocals
Fabivs – guitars
Nerva – guitars
Cornelivs – bass
Decivs – drums