Review by Death8699 on December 17, 2018.

This sophomore release by Archspire was rated unfairly. For being a technical death metal act, this release hits home with a higher average. It's blindingly fast and furious and hate in the vocals. All the tracks on here I thought were noteworthy as well as super technical on the guitars/drums. The vocals are wicked as well. Not only do you get deep growl but there are some screaming going on as well. The music is just furious. Nothing on here is boring or without significance. There are some milder guitar mixed in here but not extensively. It's enough to give the album variety and poise. This being a second album really is quite an achievement.

They seem to never let-up in intensity except for when they totally want to mellow out in the guitar department. For technical death metal, the music is filled with Archspire hate. I like the rhythm guitars better than the leads, though they were well constructed. The rhythm is filled with fret-board fantastic licks. And the opening track you would expect them to have such fury soon after the intro takes place. There just isn't anything on here that is without precedence. What baffles me is that people didn't appreciate this enough to give it a higher rating.
I like the whole package, though the production could have been a bit better, but it still does the album justice. These guys are no amateurs. They know how to construct riffs that are so complex and amazing. I should say my favorite tracks are the opening "Lucid Collective Somnambulation", "Join Us Beyond", and "Seven Crowns And the Oblivion Chain."  Everything just comes together as this 30+ minutes flies right by you (or at least, for me it did). These guys are highly underrated. You'll hear a supreme genocide on here.

To sum up, Archspire really did a great job of making some extreme music creative with their guitar/drum work. The intensity is high, total headbanger material. They know their music needs to go completely viral. Check out those songs I mentioned on YouTube or the album is available on Spotify. You will not be disappointed. If you are, then you don't appreciate talent like this!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on May 17, 2016.

Gorguts embarks on a thoughtful tangent with Pleiades’ Dust. There is an undeniable amount of brutality and technicality in this EP, but there is also the thoughtful style to back it up.

I believe Gorguts is a solid band, but the need to seem to use wankery prevents them from being truly great. As with the last album Colored Sands, some parts are addicting, but the whole is held back by the overly dexterous approach to the band using their musical instruments. Fortunately the solid drumming and guitar work is usually interesting to back up the over-indulgence. This is music that is built upon the intelligence of the musicians at play, however, and there is no denying how smart these gents are. They are able to craft a shifting atmosphere to the music that is undeniably weird, but powerful. This leads to some great musical moments sprinkled throughout. I’m stuck in a similar situation with this band to what I feel towards Beyond Creation or Cryptopsy, however. There is this constant push of instrumentation into extreme territories and one is left feeling that the band pushes too far at times. The music is listenable, but takes a large amount of listens to let sink in properly. It is often also weirdly toned, lending a left-field approach to the material.

The EP here is a single piece composed of multiple parts and it works nicely as a stop-gap after the Colored Sands album. Pleiades' Dust is always compelling no matter what direction the band pushes the music in. It’s much like the last album in its obtuse approach, which is quite welcoming for the death metal scene. Still, the album is far from perfect because of the band’s need to throw in as many complex musical passages yet again. Also there is a bit of a lull towards the middle of the EP. All in all, the material here is for the most intelligent of listener’s and those that live or die by technical death metal, in particular.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Brian on June 5, 2016.

It's dark and foggy, there's a feeling that you are somewhere you know, but everything is unfamiliar. There's a presence that you feel in the shadows, you can't see it but you know it's there. You're alone, lost and cold and something ominous is preying on you. You realize you're asleep and this is a nightmare.

Terra Tenebrosa has bringing nightmares to life since the release of their debut LP The Tunnels in 2011. Formed from the ashes of the post hardcore band Breach, founding member and braintrust, The Cuckoo, wanted to explore the darker regions of music. At this he has succeeded. From the first notes of the first album I knew I was listening to something original. I also realized I was listening to truly terrifying music. I must make it a point that there are very few bands or albums that I consider to be truly scary. Skinny Puppy achieved this with their pinnacle album Too Dark Park, Bethlehem did this with their first 3 albums, S.U.I.Z.I.D. in particular and Portal has also conjured this feeling over their career. However, they all pale in comparison to what Terra Tenebrosa has been able to do over 2 full-length's and an EP.

Their 3rd full-length The Reverses sees the band release their first album for new label Debemur Morti Productions. A partnership that seems to be equally great for both parties. Debemur Morti re-issued the bands first 2 LPs with a slight update to the cover art, as a precursor to this release. Giving this band the attention they deserve with good promotion of the new album.

The first thing I noticed is how big the production is. This does wonders for the Terra Tenebrosa sound, giving clarity to each individual layer of the chaos. After the first track "Makoria", which serves as an intro, "Ghost at the End of the Rope" storms out of the gate as the sound level increases by 50% from the opening track. The second thing I noticed that's different with The Reverses over previous efforts, is that the songs are more structured like a traditional song. This is evident in the albums first stand out track "The End is Mine to Ride". It's thunderous rhythm section provides the trademark noisy side of the band while giving way just enough for the dissonant guitars to stand out clearly among hazy, foggy background. this is a constant theme throughout The Reverses.

The second stand out track and my personal favorite is "Where Shadows Have Teeth". Featuring guest appearances from Alex Stjernfeldt (The Moth Gatherer) on bass and MkM (Antaeus, Aosoth) lending his voice to the final verse and refrain. It's suffocating nature brings about panic in the listener and if you're looking for relief, it's not coming. This song with crush you under the pure weight of it's heaviness. When it does relent, it leaves you in a far more terrifying place than where you were and transitions into the albums creepiest track "Exuvia". This is pure horrowshow. An eerie melody with demonic whispers. this could be the soundtrack for a horror film.

Album closer, the epic, almost 17 minute "Fire Dances" featuring a guest vocal appearance from Vindsval (Blut aus Nord). Which is probably the closest band I could use as a comparison. However I don't think would be fair to either band. This is also the most black metal song on the album. It's starts out blazing then transitions into this fine piece of ambience, very reminiscent of the above mentioned band and closes with a doom riff for the ages.

Terra Tenebrosa have created a dark nightmarish beauty. Everything is more focused, the ideas are more complete, the songwriting is better and the songs are tighter. All this is done without sacrificing an ounce of atmosphere. The songs are just as terrifying and weird as ever. However they are easier to digest. The Reverses is giant step forward for the band, now let's hope they get the recognition they so rightly deserve.

Review by Adam M on May 17, 2016.

Gorguts embarks on a thoughtful tangent with Pleiades’ Dust. There is an undeniable amount of brutality and technicality in this EP, but there is also the thoughtful style to back it up.

I believe Gorguts is a solid band, but the need to seem to use wankery prevents them from being truly great. As with the last album Colored Sands, some parts are addicting, but the whole is held back by the overly dexterous approach to the band using their musical instruments. Fortunately the solid drumming and guitar work is usually interesting to back up the over-indulgence. This is music that is built upon the intelligence of the musicians at play, however, and there is no denying how smart these gents are. They are able to craft a shifting atmosphere to the music that is undeniably weird, but powerful. This leads to some great musical moments sprinkled throughout. I’m stuck in a similar situation with this band to what I feel towards Beyond Creation or Cryptopsy, however. There is this constant push of instrumentation into extreme territories and one is left feeling that the band pushes too far at times. The music is listenable, but takes a large amount of listens to let sink in properly. It is often also weirdly toned, lending a left-field approach to the material.

The EP here is a single piece composed of multiple parts and it works nicely as a stop-gap after the Colored Sands album. Pleiades' Dust is always compelling no matter what direction the band pushes the music in. It’s much like the last album in its obtuse approach, which is quite welcoming for the death metal scene. Still, the album is far from perfect because of the band’s need to throw in as many complex musical passages yet again. Also there is a bit of a lull towards the middle of the EP. All in all, the material here is for the most intelligent of listener’s and those that live or die by technical death metal, in particular.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10