From the ethereal nature, mysticism, occult and beyond hails the Oregon-based band SHOURD OF THE HERETIC with a second album titled "Unorthodox Equilibrium", death metal at core under a façade of Black and Doom infused within. As it already smells hard work right from the annexed promotional band photo shoot, be ready to for an album of fewer and longer tracks that might actually turn some heads in.

Like a somber mass, the eponymous track takes off with a dash of ambient vibes gently creeping into the atmospheric side of the album which - by the way - account for the greater part of the material at hand. All while still allegiant to the Death metal realm with an indistinguishable guitar mass on the frontline, the snares and crashes have created a contrast with the above by monitoring a low tempo, thus - with this alone - effortlessly yet efficiently multiplying the emphasis on the instrumentation, shoulders rubbed with impressively bottomless growls straight from the abyss and you know, barely uttering fathomable sentences till they almost melt with the rest - but odd enough, with neither any genuine vocal line structured nor individualized scales as chromatics have taken over to generate a merciless sound indefinitely reeling into rabid murkiness. Even so, the recording sounds realistic till a point as if the listener is actually present at the studio during the session: in fact, it dwells on the interaction between the guitar summoned from afar and the nearby deep bass beats bringing it just as close as you can conceive the distance virtually on the three dimensions condensing right prior to discharging, all in a relentless cycle of tension and release.

The exact point above perpetuates itself in "Methemspychosis", a further exemplar of effectively putting echoes and depth into operation. In point of fact, what at first resonates as an echoed fingering from the synth pop era actually comes about converted according to more extreme standards, progressively coming across abrupt transitions all while coated layer after layer until the double bass drum beats as a topping. Consequently, what comes into plain sight is that sometimes each component is clear on its own and defined to the mill owing to the low-tempo sparing legroom, whereas other times the frenzy just unites it all. For a better illustration, just give a listen to the solo to see to what extent simple notes are magnified to an undetectable caliber (although the lead guitar hedged his bets he delivered and assured), an incentive to deduce that when it comes to the fellow drummer it's bel et bien about sheer power; not just standing in for support but as a rightly integral part which simplicity has contributed beyond measure to a track proceeding like a ramble swinging right and left, a genuine delight by the end.

Indubitably, out of the fittest matches in metal stands the fusion within the narrow extreme circle itself. It's the spectrum with more elegantly subtle nuances and less blatantly shocking disparity, falling in and out the experimental domain without needless extravaganza. "Sprawling Black Mass Consummation" ditches all chords in favor of vigorous tremolo and simultaneously brings in what globally seems as a mere recycle of the same interlude in other tracks yet turns out to be a different revisit - now more leaning towards the atmospheric aspect while handled by the might of the drums in supreme contrast, further enhanced by experimenting with the same riff on various instruments. In a nutshell, even with moderate experimentation, what you see is still what you get with no extra B.S, that's also where the potential of the fellows of SHROUD OF THE HERETIC actually lays: it didn't take them too much to create such an atmosphere as long as it's genuine, many bands just tear their hair playing the loudest they ever can, try whatever ideas they find in their stock yet can't reach this level.

There is actually a sort of communion of the instrument and the ears in iteration. Ideally depicted in "Omega Apeiron", it does mark an emphatic stand rather than lifeless repetitiveness, which as a corollary boosts the atmospheric nature of the record. Accordingly, what you take delivery of while browsing the track is an encircling, omnipresent sound flowing even through your nostrils; a hell lot of bells and rides backing plenty of riffs that show out of vacuum. In fact, the set of chords put in use here grows into a marriage of notes matched or mismatched alike as it all comes off in the best fit.

To all intents and purposes, "Unorthodox Equilibrium" is unlikely to deceive the listener no matter how capricious one might be. For its genre, it can definitely be deemed a highlight album as a propice ground to feel the profundity of the beat!