UMUR
"Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is the debut full-length studio album by UK, Leeds based death metal act Slimelord. The album was released through the 20 Buck Spin label in March 2024. Slimelord formed in 2019 and released the "The Delta Death Sirens" EP the same year. Two more EPs followed in 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 Slimelord released the "Spells at the Ismuth" live album. Three of the five members of the lineup who recorded "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" are also members of UK technical thrash metal act Cryptic Shift and appear on their May 2020 "Visitations from Enceladus" debut full-length studio album.
Stylistically the material on "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is in an almost abstract sounding death metal style. The gutteral growling is low in the mix and works as a cavernous presence in the busy, chaotic, and at times quite technical sound of Slimelord, although the vocals at times take on a more aggressive snarling tone. This is sometimes dissonant technical death metal, but other times it´s filthy, death-doomy, and gloomy death metal. It´s quite adventurous and creative music, and Slimelord deserve a lot of praise for being as bold and unconventional as they are. This is not easy listening music, but the tracks flow nicely and the many different riffs, the well played morbid leads, rhythms, and song structures ensure that "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is one long interesting and intriguing listen. Artists like Spectral Voice and to a lesser degree the related Blood Incantation are to my ears valid references. There´s a similar combination of old school death metal values and progressive/experimental songwriting present on this release, although Slimelord of course have a sound of their own.
"Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is a well sounding album, featuring a powerful, raw, and brutal sound production, which suits the material well. The people responsible for the recording, mixing, and mastering of the album deserve recognition for the job they´ve done. This is the perfect sound for the music featured on "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished". Upon conclusion Slimelord have released a high quality debut album, and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
