Afterbirth - In But Not Of

Angry Metal Guy

It took Afterbirth more than two decades to launch their first deep space probe with 2017’s The Time Traveler’s Dilemma. The Long Island gurglers were worth the wait, as that album and 2020’s ingenious Four Dimensional Flesh sketched out the band’s vision of prog-enhanced brutal death metal. Kronos deemed Four Dimensional Flesh “one of the most charismatic and original death metal albums you’ll ever hear,” and in the wake of that triumph a new Afterbirth slab qualifies as a full-fledged Event. In But Not Of stares down the pressure, mixing a bold and brilliant melange of tropes and subgenres into the act’s slammy stew. This is music to concuss you and then heal your battered brain. Nobody mixes beauty into brutality like Afterbirth, and In But Not Of finds these maniacs doing that in new and thrillingly inventive ways. This is an album to savor and return to again and again, a companion piece to Four Dimensional Flesh that manages to equal if not surpass its predecessor.

The excursions on In But Not Of venture further into distant parsecs as the album progresses. The savagery of the first five tracks gives way to a back half that conducts experiments wild enough to send the meek of spirit looking for the nearest fainting couch. The band’s sonic palette still poses Kronos‘s immortal question: “What if Voivod, on occasion, slammed?” Afterbirth just finds new ways to answer it on In But Not Of. Here you’ll find thrilling brutal death freakouts that give way to alt-rock-inflected b-sections with riffs that could have come from Jane’s Addiction or Spacehog (Song o’ the Year candidate “Devils with Dead Eyes”). You’ll encounter post-driven slow builds that explode into spasms of slam (Song o’ the Year candidate “In But Not Of”), and menacing death metal that evokes a trip to some frozen necroplanet (Song o’ the Year candidate “Angels Feast on Flies.”). You never know what’s around the next corner on In But Not Of, but Colin Marston’s production work and the strength of Afterbirth’s songwriting keep the record cohesive.

In But Not Of by Afterbirth

In But Not Of’s first five tracks feel directly descended from the sci-fi explorations of Four Dimensional Flesh. Opener “Tightening the Screws” is intro track by way of total immersion. There’s no wasted time here–the song’s two minutes of brutal death metal are a bracing plunge into the world of the album. Afterbirth hits warp speed with the incredible “Devils with Dead Eyes.” The inimitable hypergurgles of Will Smith tie these initial tracks together. The former Artificial Brain frontman is, here as always, largely incomprehensible–yet somehow he elevates everything he touches. His vocals in one section of “Autoerotic Amputation” compete with a MOAR COWBELL percussion freakout. The combined effect conjures up something like a hip-hop track that plunged into a black hole. “Vivisected Psychopomp” features another alt-rock descended b-section, this one recalling an amped-up version of The Cure. The contrasts in this first section invigorate the listener, but Afterbirth always finds their way back to the true north of brutal fvkkin’ death metal.

The back half of In But Not Of is bolder in its departures. “Hovering Human Head Drones” announces the shift in tone, playing like a death metal song that’s trying to birth itself by pushing through a membrane of gorgeous alt-rock. The double whammy of “In But Not Of” and “Angels Feast on Flies” may be the slab’s high point. “In But Not Of” repurposes post-metal to Afterbirth’s unique ends. Its crescendoes and eventual growling catharsis make for a song to captivate your synapses while it pushes you toward a personal deadlift record. The Tangerine Dream vibes of “Time Enough Tomorrow” are the only less-than-successful experiment in a section that, on the whole, is as protean as it is captivating. Only the dull and flaccid of soul will be put off by the non-metal points of comparison; In But Not Of is first and foremost a brutal death record, it’s just one that invites new and vital influences into the tent.

Between this and Wormhole’s Almost Human, slam and brutal death are having themselves a moment. The two albums, considered together, are a testament to metal artists’ ingenuity and their ability to elevate even little-loved subgenres to new creative heights. In But Not Of marks a fresh high for the Slam-aissance. Afterbirth birth one of the best records of the year, a towering achievement that already feels destined to stand the test of time.¹

Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: facebook.com/afterbirth | afterbirth.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: October 20, 2023

The post Afterbirth – In But Not Of Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.