Now I don't know much about Bulgaria. I know they're back in Eurovision, which is nice, but besides that, I'm at a loss. Here to help me out is REJUVENATION, straight from Sofia with their second full-length album, "The Pinnacle of Violence." This five-piece techdeath collective has been combining their technical brutality with progressive metal mindsets and science-fiction/nature-themed lyrics since 2014. Their music sounds right up my alley, so I'm ready to be rejuvenated.

Instantly, I'm hit by the band's dynamic instrumentation and insane musical density. "Timeshift Pt. II: The Abyss" starts the album, and I don't care if there was a part one, because this track is bursting from the seams with fiery drumming courtesy of Nedislav, neoclassical guitar solos, and a perfect guttural tone from Nikola. The progressive elements subtly emerge with time signature switcheroos and an unconventional song structure. The technicality "calms" down a little in "The Forest Calls," a half-melodic-half-techdeath track with plenty of Teodor's smooth bass and chugs from either Bozhko, Vladimir, or both. I may need to put a word cap on how many times I say "technical," because my review is starting to sound quite redundant, but seriously, REJUVENATION gives 110% every step of the way. Well, almost every step - "Mortality Inevitable" is a forty-second instrumental track, and it goes nowhere. A strange choice...

"The Pinnacle of Violence" was released as the lead single, and it garnered well over twenty thousand streams, which is (presumably) huge for a band like REJUVENATION. This track taps into progressive metal more than the rest, covering immense musical ground in four minutes. Crispy snares, lyric sheets that look like manuscripts, and everything my caveman brain loves. Interesting to see the most creative song be selected as the single, but hey - if it works, it works. Sadly, another weaker song is next. "Pushed to the Edge" is simpler, slower, thrashier, and deathcore-ier. Thankfully, the album ends with"Shades of Perception," a song that holds its own with its Necrophagist-like guitar solos and pummeling drums.

What a ride. REJUVENATION are clearly experienced performers who know how to make an instrument beg for mercy. "The Pinnacle of Violence" was a perfect scratch for my technical death metal itch, and while I enjoyed the LP as a whole, there were some rather interesting choices. "Mortality Inevitable" just... doesn't need to exist, and when the band strays from any style other than their strengths (talking mainly about the deathcorethrash combo on "Pushed to the Edge"), it doesn't sit right with me. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have checked off "listen to a band from Bulgaria" on my bingo card.