RINGS OF SATURN

Gidim NUCLEAR BLAST

It’s tech death, Jim, but not as we know it

Though the belligerent deathcore of Rings Of Saturn’s primitive roots remains on their fifth album, it merely acts as a launch pad into new cosmic planes of weird and wonderful technical dizziness. Key to the voyage are guitarists Lucas Mann and a returning Joel Omans, who seemingly venture to every millimetre of their seven-, eight- and ninestring instruments though lightspeed leads and fiddly riffs, while blastbeats damage shields and sci-fi effects shoot across the bow. But while they rarely stand still for a nanosecond, there’s the odd riff or breakdown you can latch onto, be it Tormented Consciousness’s melodic traits or Genetic Inheritance’s

brutish charm, while the hooks among Mental Prolapse’s guitar tone are lifted straight from an 80s console game. Gidim

manages to be both unfathomably ludicrous and efficient fun. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Origin, Aversions Crown, Archspire ADAM REES