Is post-Death Metal a thing? I’m sure there’s some Metal forum that can vindicate that subgenre, but who’s got the time for that. On second thought Gorguts’ Colored Sands probably has already nabbed the coveted best post-Death album title, but I digress. Fallujah’s latest LP Undying Light (Nuclear Blast) certainly seems to fit the post-Extreme label as well, seeing that it’s an album equal parts Death and Deftones.

If you’ve already been aboard the Fallujah hype train this should come as no surprise as both Dreamless and The Flesh Prevails were also about experimentation as well as blistering blast-beats. I mean all the Death Metal parts are here and accounted for from the aforementioned blasts, pained vocals and speedy riffs but it doesn’t hit in the same way as a Malevolent Creation record hits you. Much like the esteemed Gorguts, this is a Death Metal less interested in circle pits and more in line with deep contemplation.

And contemplate we do on songs like ‘The Ocean Above’, which feels less like Death Metal and more like the sonic wizardry of Gojira or The Contortionist. You may or may not want to have some potent cannabis to enjoy that jazzy drum and low-end interlude late in that song. We go deeper into the cosmos with ‘Distant and Cold’ which sets aside the furious double kicks and raging guitars in exchange of vast sonic soundscapes and lush Isis-like mood. Yeah, you’re going to need the weed for that one as well.

But just because Fallujah knows how to tap into their cosmic side it doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten to rattle the walls like they used to on The Harvest Wombs. ‘Sanctuary’ rips open like a modern reimaging of Dark Tranquillity’s ‘The New Build’ while ‘Hollow’ has guitarist Scott Carstairs working in perfect metal syncopation with Andrew Baird’s quick and precise footwork.

The jury’s still out on my post-Death metal idea, but if that’s an actual thing Undying Light is a standout in that possibly hypothetical field.

8 / 10

HANS LOPEZ