Review by JD on January 9, 2009.

I hold this cd in my hand and ponder it for awhile. This is one album that really has made me really have to think here... and think hard. "Dër Mëkanïk Grööves" is one album that really needs the correct sort of explanation for what I can only term as being very weird in an artistic sort of way. I will take a stab at it.

Mëkanïk is a amalgam of everything that is truly strange, mixing with shades of classic Heavy Metal. They have taken influences from many stages of Rock and Roll throughout the years. You have this basic Black Sabbath feel that is infused with an odd yet eclectic mix of Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, late sixties Psychedelic music and various styling of 80's metal. You mix them all up, add in some bizarre artistic licence and you have a bastard spawn like no other... called Mëkanïk.

This album was a project EP that had been shelved for so many years(done by ex members of Lydia/ Dismal Euphony/ Gehenna) due to just simple band fuck-ups and other things in the life of a musician. I am glad that they did finally straighten a few things out and release this, it was as refreshing as it was weird. The late Frank Zappa would have loved these guys.

It is not one of my favourite albums by any stretch of the imagination, but it is enjoyable from a musician's point of view. It don't really change the world, it isn't any sort of watershed moment, but it is nice to listen to once in awhile... we all need a little mind bending, it keeps life a little more interesting.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 7
Originality:7
Overall: 7

Rating: 6.8 out of 10

Review by Brian on July 22, 2015.

Cattle Decapitation have come a long way in there almost 20 years of existence. Forming way back in 1996 as a grindcore act, they released a demo, EP, and their debut full-length in 2000. With the release of 2002's To Serve Man, they started to transition to a death metal act. Over the next decade they began to get more progressive with each release finally putting it all together on their last release Monoliths of Inhumanity. To be quite honest folks, I don't care much for anything prior to Monoliths of Inhumanity. Last time out Cattle Decapitation made the best record of their career. This is a dangerous time for a band. Do they push forward and grow or just plateau?

The Anthropocene Extinction sees the band progressing and building of their last release. The biggest jump forward is in the vocals. Travis Ryan has always had the varied vocals, here he has total command of all of them and actually has added a few new vocal stylings to the mix. He's upped the use of his semi-clean sing/scream vocals, which I love. There is more dare I say sing-a-long chorus type moments. "Not Suitable for Life" is a perfect example of this. Musically it's a step forward as well. There's more melodic moments, more catchy elements in general. Please die hard Cattle fans, don't let this scare you. There is still all the death/grind there too. "Pacific Grim" incorporates all these in one killer track. There are also what I am going to call Symphonies era Carcass moments. "Clandestine Ways" fits into this category. The albums most interesting song and my favorite is "Circo Inhumanitas" It's absolute brutality gives way to a catchy chorus and is as close to a traditional song that the band has ever written. This is a formula that is starting to be used a lot more on this release.

Cattle Decapitation have become a force in the progressive death metal genre. It's a rarity that a band releases their strongest albums after 7 or 8 records, which is exactly what Cattle Decapitation have managed to do. Another step in the right direction and continuing to grow. The Anthropocene Extinction is another monolithic release from animal rights activist from San Diego and their best to date.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10