Album Review: The Zenith Passage – Datalysium (Metal Blade Records)

Los Angeles-based progressive death metal practitioners The Zenith Passage will unleash their towering ‘Datalysium’ full-length on July 21st through Metal Blade Records.

Featuring an overhauled line-up that sees original guitarist/keyboardist/backing vocalist Justin McKinney joined by guitarist Christopher Beattie (Dreamer), vocalist Derek Rydquist (ex-The Faceless, John Frum), and bassist Brandon Giffin (ex-The Faceless, Cynic).

It’s a reinvigorated band that brings forth Datalysium. A band with a lot of energy and desire to push their progressive death metal sound to even greater heights. Combining their myriad of influences into one exceptionally complex and fascinating package. The Zenith Passage are pushing themselves here, while staying true to their roots.

It’s a collection of brash and brutal hits from the start, The Zenith Passage bringing an inordinate amount of heavy and fast-paced noise with The Axiom of Error, Algorithmic Salvation, and Lexicontagion. The first third of this album is manic and mean, but features delinquent harmonisations, shrewd blackened discombobulations, and commanding dynamic shifts. It’s as insane as it sounds, but they well and truly have the listener’s attention now.

It’s weird, it’s wonderful, it’s The Zenith Passage.

Synaptic Depravation is a particular highlight. A track that features an array of mind-meltingly guitar sharpness, complex rhythms, savage drum patterns and sickeningly guttural vocals. Its blend of complex cleanliness, harsh brutality and moments of melodic flair leaves one hell of an impact.

There’s no time to take a breath though as The Zenith Passage continue their assault with the manic Deletion Cult. Where super-synth sounds combine well with a frenzy of progressive death. Followed then by the pairing of Divinertia I and Divinertia II. The former, featuring some of the album’s most abrasive drums and a glorious guitar solo. While the latter features dissonant atmosphere and feral guitar tempos.

It’s a massive sounding album, a real encapsulation of The Zenith Passage’s power, yet everything so far pales in comparison to the final two tracks, Automated Twilight and the title track. Both passing the seven-minute mark by a single second, The Zenith Passage showing even more progressively creativeness, and even more experimental wackiness than anyone could ever have expected. Yet, also showing that they’re more than capable of surprising the listener still.

These tracks are all the confirmation anyone needs that Datalysium is an impressive release. Yet, when combined with the seven tracks that came before, it becomes an album of the year contender.

The Zenith Passage – Datalysium Track Listing:

1. The Axiom of Error
2. Algorithmic Salvation
3. Lexicontagion
4. Synaptic Depravation
5. Deletion Cult
6. Divinertia I
7. Divinertia II
8. Automated Twilight
9. Datalysium

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