COGNITIVE

Matricide

UNIQUE LEADER Pummelling tech-death mastery from the NJ breeding grounds Hailing from New Jersey’s fertile breeding ground for metal and punk, Cognitive continue to poke at the boundaries of their potential with their third album. A huge statement of intent, Matricide is faster, groovier, catchier and more immediate than anything they’ve released to date and straddles the worlds of deathcore and technical death. It grabs you by the throat from the opening bars and doesn’t let go for 40-plus minutes. It ranges from the ugly intensity of the title track, which calls to mind vintage Meshuggah, to the beautiful instrumental curveball, Denouement.

In between are multiple moments of extreme mayhem peppered with sweet melodic pay-offs courtesy of their virtuoso guitarists. This reputationmaking opus is a monster.