siLLy puPPy
Joining the ranks of a gazillion new bands in the demanding technical death metal world comes OPRESSOR GOD which formed in 2014 in Kingman, Arizona, USA and so far has released this one EP titled MECHANICAL MANSLAUGHTER which came out in 2018. The band consists of Justin Brown (guitar), Gage Vickers (vocals), Tyrel Sanders (bass) and Kevin Wadley (drums).
This band delivers a punishing brutal mix of demanding technically infused death metal with elements of goregrind most notable in the piggy squeals that emerge in between the death growls. This short 21 1/2 minute blistering workout finds the band layering rampaging guitar riffs over hyperspeed blastbeat drumming workouts and an accompanying galloping bass. The subject matter is the expected sci-fi camp and stylistically speaking the band checks off all the required modern day tech death boxes in perfect form.
The atmosphere and production remain eerie while the relentless metal assaults assault with no mercy. The tracks remain melodic but not too sugary sweet with the galloping riffs providing the pace for the melodies to wrap around instead of the other way around. Unfortunately at this point OPPRESSOR GOD despite a noble effort and an undisputed mastery of this demanding style of metal workouts fails to inspire and sounds rather generic as this type of tech death is quite common in the 2010s.
Compared with newer tech death bands like The Zenith Passage and The Faceless, OPPRESSOR GOD delivers a cold and calculated display of tech wizardry but in the end none of these tracks really rise above the glut of similar bands emerging these days and at this point gives no indication that the band will evolve into anything unique. Still though, all is excellently executed and the production job is as good as you could hope. This EP simply lacks memorable compositions that make me want to return.