Album Review: Usurpress – Interregnum (Agonia Records)

Swedish self proclaimed “primitive and progressive” death metallers Usurpress return with their new album, Interregnum out on the 23rd February 2018 via Agonia Records.

Usurpress have made the following statement about the new album:

“This time we wanted to challenge the establish dogmas and indeed our own predetermined ideas of what makes death metal sound like death metal. We have taken notes from the history of heavy guitar driven music before the times of death metal, in fact; before the times of heavy metal. We have taken inspiration from the hard rock and prog rock movements of the early seventies and put a heavy death twist on it. For those who feel like retching at the sound of this; we can assure you that this is by all means a death metal album and not some silly retro 70-ties throwback 5 years too late for the trend. It’s simply Usurpress but slower, heavier and way more complex”.

After the upbeat progressive melody of A Place in the Pantheon, it’s the title track that really gets things going with a groovy & death metal beat that lasts around 2 minutes. It’s short but packs a serious punch.

In Books Without Pages combines the style of the first two tracks with sweet & haunting melody, softly sung vocals against flashes of death metal aggression. A track that really showcases the talent in Usurpress.

The quality in the progressive inventiveness continues into the smart sounding Late in the 11th Hour, the detailed Ships of Black Glass & the thumping death metal beat of The Iron Gates Are Melting.

The genre-spanning effort from Usurpress ends on one final impressive blend of rockier riffs, haunting melody & gothic vocals tones.

Usurpress – Interregnum Full Track Listing:

1. A Place in the Pantheon
2. Interregnum
3. In Books Without Pages
4. Late in the 11th Hour
5. Ships of Black Glass
6. The Iron Gates Are Melting
7. The Vagrant Harlot

You can pick up the album via Agonia Records here and earlier releases by the band’s Bandcamp. You can find out more about Usurpress on Facebook & check out the first single below!