From Prosthetic Record’s webpage, “Chicago, Illinois emotional cybergrind mainstay BLIND EQUATION has announced their much-anticipated sophomore full-length, “Death Awaits,” set for release on September 15 via Prosthetic Records. On their Prosthetic debut, BLIND EQUATION plummets the depths of self-loathing, interpersonal betrayal, anxiety and death itself.” The album has ten songs,

The title track is first. I figured by the description that the music would a bit odd, but that is an understatement. How do I describe it? It’s like a video game that has gained sensory awareness and turned into a monster. The vocals go from screams to deep gutturals at the snap of a finger. “speedrunning life” has some eerie keyboard parts to go along with the plate of horrid vocals and at times, the music flirts with the Grindcore genre. “you betrayed the ones you loved” has more eerie keyboard parts, almost like an animated horror movie. But as you move closer, the blood and gore is very real, and the band makes no excuses for their style. If nothing else, it’s original, in a sea of many bands that sound the same.

“fade away” is heavier and more aggressive, from the monstrous bass line and thick vocals. The trademark electronic elements are there as well, weirder than ever. The breakdown is also very brutal. “choke” is another song done with many electronic elements that are mashed with brutal Metal elements almost as if you tried to cram a creature into a room with a friendly video game character. It will always end bloody. “never getting better” has an almost jovial sound to it, of course, as jovial as harsh vocals can be. It is a bit easier on the ears as well, which goes against the title in a way. “suffering in silence” is another heavily juxtapositioned song, where competing elements grate against each other like a scalpel and cause deep bleeding.

“warmth” is tepid, but not really warm. Another haunting electronic sound permeates the song, with some nifty keyboard work. “the last glimpse of me” closes the album. On “Death Awaits,” BLIND EQUATION have clearly carved a niche for themselves, their songs, and their fans. But even this odd music lover finds the music a bit hard to connect with at times, and I find myself wondering, how much of the music is programmed verses performed. I mean, to be fair, you could say that same thing about any album these days, and I would rather that stay unknown. This one’s for the more experimental Metal fan, but not for me.