The year was 1990: US death metal superstars like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Death and Atheist dominate the extreme music world with overall groundbreaking new albums. Innovators like Nocturnus and a little later Pestilence create the subgenre Cosmic Death Metal.
SubOrbital simply re-enter exactly at this point now about 30 years later. Their debut album “Planetary Disruption” seems like a time machine and reminds in many ways of milestones like “Altars of Madness,” “The Key” or “Spheres.” Here wild bludgeoning, exaggerated solo outbursts and tons of threatening-groovy parts alternate. Technical yet catchy Death Metal riffing in the style of early Cannibal Corpse, Incubus or Sepultura paired with a voice that let you instantly think of Patrik Mameli or Martin van Drunen is what you get here.
The fact that “Planetary Disruption” sounds so authentic is due to the fact that the musicians were already influenced by this style as teenagers in the Death Metal heyday. The fantastic analog mastering at World Famous Studios by hands of Pete De Boer (Blood Incantation, Faceless Burial, Spectral Wound) gives the whole thing additional warmth and the necessary special feeling that reminds us of the time before today’s usual standardized glossy productions.
SubOrbital are a must for all those who mourn the blessed times of technical Florida death metal, as well as for fans of the new OSDM wave with bands like Skeletal Remains, Blood Incantation and Undeath.
Read our review here.
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!