Album Review: Breed Death by Sensory Amusia (Lacerated Enemy Records)

Australian Death Metal trio Sensory Amusia will release their new album, Breed Death on May 27 via Lacerated Enemy Records.

Sensory Amusia is a modern take on death metal. Inspired by the grooves of death metal/hardcore, such as Dying Fetus and Misery Index, blended with the ferocity of technical metal such as Cryptopsy and Aborted. The 4 piece during recording but now listed as a three piece is Shaun Maloney on guitars, Joel Parkyn on bass and Jei Doublerice on vocals. The lost member it seems is drummer Kevin Paradis. Mixing and Mastering was also handled by vocalist Jei Doublerice.

With three previous releases under their belt, spread out over a lengthy period, 2013’s debut Disrepair, then 2019’s In Extremis and 2020’s Bereavement, Sensory Amusia will be looking to make an impact with Breed Death and continue their recent form.

The band released the following statement concerning the upcoming album:

“Breed Death is about a disgust for the worst side of humanity. It’s the negative and hateful feelings you suppress deep inside in order to function and live a normal life. We wanted to unleash the beast. Our previous releases In Extremis and Bereavement were about the fragility of life and death and later accepting and living with death – inspired by our personal experiences. Breed Death is the final hell, portrayed through a fictitious character’s slowly decaying mind.”

Breed Death comes with 8 tracks on it getting underway with Birth Through Violence and it gives birth to the album, through violence. A sub one minute explosion of utter anarchy with technical and metallic guitars, crushing drums and deep, intense growls. A blast of intensity that is sure to wake you up and shake you to life. The aggression continues throughout Breed Death. Sensory Amusia are here to break necks and destroy pits. Twisting riffs shine from the front in Yersinia Pestis as the deathcore drums pummel you continuously. The vocals are super intense but have a bit of range and tone change to them so they really keep things feeling fresh amongst the thumping deathcore.

Little breather moments are welcome too and I love the echoed vocals and ringing guitars, just for a few seconds while you catch your breath and then go again. Vermin continues the attack, if anything it escalates it in the verses but the transition into a darker, chunkier chorus switches things up nicely. The drums and bass are really impressive, setting a thick foundation for the more metallic tinge on the guitars. The speed and aggression gets the band touching the grind/extreme genre at times with Cattle Decapitation vibes pouring through in their heaviest moments. Another switch up that pushes the lead guitars to the forefront with a wicked melodic line is welcome and is a clever move. This is good.

Parasitic Alteration is, you guessed it, another powerfully aggressive beast of a track. Plenty of vocal tone changes make it feel like there are multiple vocalists. Sensory Amusia are fond of little changes and it really helps Breed Death not feel like a stereotypical deathcore album. The change into the chorus where the speed drops and a slab of grooving rhythm takes over is gorgeous. Vulgar Thoughts of Carnage is another fiery number but has a wonderful rhythm from the riffs that sees you able to head bang along happily even while the vocals and drums are going at a ridiculous speed. A huge section in the middle sees the lead guitars take front in a kind of brutal instrumental section where the bass, guitars and drums just let loose. I can see that causing utter chaos in the pit.

Bind Torture Kill goes for the jugular from the off with terrifying intensity from the roared vocals. That’s not for your parents. It’s a clever song though, not always easy to follow but definitely breaks Breed Death up nicely. It twists and turns offering the continued moments of intense brutality, small stops, a little melody and vocals that turn from deep, growls to demented screeches.  A Blank Canvas of Flesh is the penultimate track and of course is another brutal track. In amongst all that aggression though is a wickedly catchy rhythm and a little touch of hardcore shouting amongst the extreme deathcore.

A little solo pops up every now and then, keeping the Sensory Amusia trend of ensuring they offer a twist on standard deathcore with every song. Small moments but they make the songs and make Breed Death a stand out album. Speaking of breed Death, we hit the title track to close. No surprises for guessing if it is heavy or not. Of course it is, once again showcasing vocal range as those lines get delivered at every heavy range possible in a blasting, adrenaline fuelling track. A song that threatens to be a bit too much but then, just at the right time, switches things up and adds a sombre melody to reinvigorate you.

Another fiery solo appears in this song too – a more familiar style of solo as well before we head into thick and chunky breakdown territory for a bit. Another solo sets  you up for a final minute of resumed extremity through to the close.

Damn that was intense. Sensory Amusia really leave nothing in the tank here hitting you hard from the first note to the last in a flurry of blasting drums, complex riffs and insane vocals. An album that could easily have just become another deathcore album but offers so much vocal range and switch ups in the songs that Breed Death has more in common with Cattle Decapitation than the obvious Thy Art is Murder comparisons that will pop into you head from their named genre and homeland. Sensory Amusia had a bit of a resurgence in the last couple years, giving them a platform to launch Breed Death from and this is another massive step in the right direction. An album that is sure to leave a lasting mark on anyone who listens to it.

Grab your copy of Breed Death from Lacerated Enemy Records by following the link.

Sensory Amusia Links

Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – Lacerated Enemy Records