Active since 2009, the Wallingford, Connecticut band has always sought to up their game in the studio and live and expand their sound with every new release. Although still an independent band, XENOSIS has made waves in the Progressive/Technical Death Metal scene beginning with their second album, "Sowing the Seeds of Destruction." Fast-forward to 2021, and the band's upcoming album, "Paralleled Existence," runs parallel to the band's biggest line-up shift in years. New blood in the ranks has paid off, and "Paralleled Existence" sees the group moving away from being purely a Tech-Death act, as they lean into their increased groove and progressive focuses to craft a new updated sound this time around. The album contains eight tracks.

"Entitled Yielded Essence Storage (E.Y.E.S.)" leads off the album. It opens with heavy rhythms and a dose of technical prowess. Dissonance reigns, as the drums roll forward in a machine gun fashion, and the vocals are deep and dark. "Prophetic Blight" begins with eerie tones and then settles into a slow groove. Mid-way in there is an ambient passage of lead guitar work. They pack about a thousand notes into one composition, and it's hard to imagine that they can keep track of where they are going, but they do. "Castrato" opens with heavy, brutal passages of guitar, drum and bass work, with vile vocal utterances. The super-tight nature of the music is impressive, but it lacks soul for me.

"Amorphous Conquerors" is the longest on the album, clocking in at over eight minutes of brutal, punishing tones that do not let up. The Progressive elements are very strong here, but the sterility of the music is equally as strong. "Jenken Overdose" opens with slow, lumbering tones, and a heavy dose of darkness rising all around you. I have always said that this style of music demands much from the drummer, and that is no exception here. Gary rapid fires sixteenth notes at you much faster than you can count, and without missing a beat as far as the meter goes. "Skin of the Dead" begins with a harrowing sound, scary as all hell. An odd passage with circus like music ensues, partially covered by pounding, brutal rhythms.

"Personification of the Unconscious" hears the harrowing tones continue, with crushing weight, and very little melody. The lead guitars dance in and around the base of the song which is about as heavy as heavy can get. Towards the end, a breakdown with thick bass notes comes in, finishing on a dime. "Dimension Oppressor" closes the album. Rhythm guitars open the song, going here, there, and everywhere. Striking dissonance dominates the sound. Guttural vocals spew forth, followed by shrieks, and clearly the vocalist is strong at his trade.

Overall, though the musicianship is really something to marvel at, the heavy and dissonant nature of the music weighs brutally on the listener. The vocals are varied between screams and guttural utterances, and the band clearly knows their way around their instruments, but at what point does this style of music become hard to listen to? It was hard for me, though I rather enjoyed the more ambient passages. Perhaps I am getting too soft in my old age? Fantastic musicianship...but difficult to listen to.