ANALEPSY is a death metal band from Portugal who formed in 2013. "Quiescence," is their second full length album; they have also released an EP and a split. ANALEPSY's super power is their sound is smooth and transitions so well while it manages to be exceedingly brutal. Elements of slam, brutal, and technical are thrown into their deadly mix. On top of all that, the album has an old school sensibility in terms of hooks and dynamics, such as their keen sense of melody. João Jacinis is the MVP of the album-the bass is a standout and never falters. He provides a crushing low end but throws in a lot  melodic prowess as well.  With the drumming of Tiago Correia, the two are an unstoppable rhythm machine.

The album opens with "Locus Of Dawning," and, as the first track on an album should, gives the listener a taste and feel of the overall album.  After a brief opening, the track begins and big, slamming riffs settle in.  The tight and crisp drumming, and the impeccable production, let every little nuance and detail stand out.  The album is all the heavier for it because everything shines through and pummels outward.  Calin Paraschiv's vocals are intense but injected with a variety of extreme sounds.  He follows the rhythm of the songs, creating a lot of crazy groove that some bands this heavy handed just don't have. He also plays lead guitar and he is equally adapt at injecting leads into the groove of the song, such as the solo in the first half of "Impending Subversion."  Afterwards, the band doubles down on the riffs and he barks low grunts proving the band is at their most effective when all the pieces fit together even when the song changes gears.  Of course, his fellow guitarist Marco Martins is by his side-the two of them know how to play a death metal riff.  During the solos, Martins sounds like a massive army, holding onto the ground and not giving an inch.

"Stretched And Devoured," begins like it was already running for a few seconds-I barely had time to catch my breath before the song just barrels through.  Melodic tinged riffs around 1:56 mark quickly change the game and set the song up for a wonderful guitar solo that balances technicality with melody. The song then slows down a bit to let the bass shine through, the low end riffs bringing the song back around to non stop riffs and low vocals, that may or may not sound like a bullfrog. Maybe it is the doom fan in me but the band is just as deadly when they take a slower tempo.  The first half of "Fractured Continuum," is beastly but the later half the band is at half step-and it makes their sound very consuming and invasive.  There isn't much about the album that I don't like but there is a slight pacing issue with the last track, which is the instrumental title song.  It isn't very memorable and doesn't go anywhere. It feels more like an intro, or possible, an interlude to another track.

The previous track, "Edge Of Chaos" is a banger and much better suited for the albums final. This song is one of the album's best. The intro is methodical and drawn out-the built up with the bass and drums is particularly impressive. The last minute of the song is rather atmospheric, the tones of the guitars settling down as a huge, sweltering blanket of darkness as the song fades to black. Perfect ending! All in all, ANALEPSY's "Quiescence," is an impressive display of unbridled fury yet an equally impressive display of songwriting prowess.