PSYCROPTIC

As The Kingdom Drowns

PROSTHETIC More devilish death metal mastery from Tasmania Having spent six albums tinkering just enough with their blistering technical extremity to show evolution rather than revolution, it’s impressive to hear Aussies Psycroptic sounding fresher and more experimental than ever on As The Kingdom

Drowns. Layers of vocals and symphonic effects on We

Were The Keepers make use of a princely production job and there’s breakneck tempo aplenty elsewhere. Joe Haley’s murderous riffs keep you on tenterhooks for every twist of each track, while brother Dave’s drumming is up there with the genre’s best. There’s variety, too, with Directive’s slam-worthy groove and

Upon These Stones’ ceremony, which manifests through tangled labyrinths of dread and sinister undercurrents.