Album Review: Apallic – Of Fate And Sanity (Boersma-Records)

The five-piece progressive death metal band, Apallic will release their debut album, Of Fate & Sanity on June 2nd 2017 via Boersma-Records.

Apallic’s brand of progressive & groove infused death metal gets off to an absolute stormer with the intense heaviness of The Awakening. 4 minutes of crushing metal riffs, brutal roars & aggressive drumming.

Of Fate & Sanity is all about playing as fast & heavy as possible but with the added bonus of bagfuls of rhythm. Look no further then Mental Prison to see just how much groove is layered throughout. It forces its way into your brain, setting up for the duration before cracking open a beer & putting its feet on the table.

Not that you mind, this album can get away a with a lot because it’s so good to spend time with!

Masked Insanity, Day Before the Black, Deranged…the album just keeps giving more & more gut-rumbling heaviness, thanks in part, to the fantastic drumming!

A couple of songs short of the album end, Iter Ex Umbra takes a pause from the constant crushing heaviness to deliver a soft & comforting melody. It’s a short but relaxing moment even though you know The Watchmaker is going to bring back the heaviness in droves.

Which it does, unsurprisingly. The Watchmaker & Leaking Hourglass set about finishing what the first load of songs began. Twisting your head off & screaming down the bloodied stump of your neck!

Of Fate & Sanity comes to a close with the epic & long, A Taste of Lethe. Coming in at just under 14 minutes the subtle guitar strumming at the start let’s you know this is going to be a different kind of song. Unfortunately it can’t quite live up to the promise it made at the start & ends up feeling dragged out, delivering an unsatisfactory climax.

Still, Of Fate & Sanity is a fantastic piece of death metal with some really invention going on. Well worth checking out if you want to see where the future of the genre may be heading.

Apallic – Of Fate & Sanity Full Track Listing:

1. Iter Initium
2. The Awakening
3. Mental Prison
4. Masked Insanity
5. Day Before the Black
6. Deranged
7. Iter Ex Umbra
8. The Watchmaker
9. Leaking Hourglass
10. A Taste of Lethe

You can pick up Of Fate & Sanity over on the band’s website here & on Bandcamp here. Check them out on Facebook, Soundcloud & YouTube.