Formed in 2013, and hailing from Belgium, Groove/Death Metal band GRIMAZE release their second album here, titled "The Heart of a Collapsing Star.” The album has eight songs. “Liquid Chaos” is first, and I hear a mix of Death Metal with some technical elements, even some Progressive ones. It also has a nice mix of hardened Metal and subtle melodies. “Gripping the Spirit” brings further complexity to the music, but it still retains an accessible edge. The vocals, however, are delivered at nearly the same pitch throughout the first two songs, and a little change in that could go a long way.

“White Eyes” uses a subtler approach, as the band keeps the technical elements in check, so as to not overwhelm the song. Instead, they use them like a seasoning that just accents the heavy grooves. “Pillars of Creation” packs more energy behind it, with a wave of rolling drums, some heavy staccato guitar riffs, and plenty of darkness between the layers. Vocals are used more sparsely so that the musicianship can be more on display. “Harder than Death” uses a little too much of the low E chord in the riff, although those meaty bass notes come through strong. The band is pretty tightly wound but could benefit from some slight changes in pace and/or sound to keep things fresh.

“Mouth of the Universe” goes deeper into the earth with some very dark sounds and some pyro in the guitars. From there however, it doesn’t do a whole lot to distinguish itself from other songs on the album. “Cosmic Solitude” closes the album, and it’s the first real change in pace and sound. Consider the song title…for me, it points to the quest for peacefulness within the universe. It’s something that we all seek but can be very hard to find. I like the tension that the band develops in this song. Bass notes duck in and out of the forefront, and the vocals begin as spoken words. From there, however, it falls back into the same familiar pattern.

Overall, this was a good album, with an impressive display of musicianship, but if I point to one piece of constructive criticism, it would be to add some more variety and flavor to the already strong base of songs on the album, or maybe vary the vocal delivery. Either of these two things would augment the album.