INTROTYL hailing from Mexico City, Mexico were formed in 2009. They play Death Metal in the best American tradition and so far they released four EPs and "Adfectus" is their second full-length album. The name INTROTYL is derived from the words "In" and "Trotyl" which stands for Trinitrotoluene or simply TNT, meaning inside dynamite. "Adfectus" has a length of almost 36 minutes. It was released via Danish label Emanzipation Productions which has a number of Death, Thrash, and Speed Metal bands among their roster.

INTROTYL might still not be well known in international Death Metal circles, however the band around bassist Sariux Rivera and guitarist Rose Contreras has already a history of more than 12 years. The first years have been a coming and going in terms of band members especially on the drums. With the arrival of vocalist Kary Ramos, the band got more and more recognized in Mexico with the first EPs and, then in 2018, the debut full-length album "Creation Of Insanity" being released. "Creation Of Insanity" was a merciless Death Metal bludgeoning and it received a lot of attention in US and Canada. With the pandemic arriving, INTROTYL followed their path and released "Vmbra" in 2020, in principle, a prequel for "Adfectus". All this did not remain unnoticed and the band got rewarded with a label contract at Danish Metal specialists Emanzipation Productions.

While "Creation Of Insanity" has already a high level of intensity and brutality, "Adfectus" goes way beyond that level. The 36 minutes Death Metal attack starts with "Abyss" and it shows what to expect from the album: a relentless pummelling, direct and aggressive guitar riffing, frantic speed mixed with mid-tempo grooves, insane drumming, and brutal growls at the medium end of the guttural range. INTROTYL do not mess around, "Abyss" and all other tracks have no lead guitar solos. They come straight to the point and every minute is a kick-in-the-face. "Abyss" has some cool transitions in tempo and rhythm, and in particular the drumming is outstanding and drives the track forward.

"Under My Skin" - wow! What a sheer brutality in sound! The guitar riffing is flesh-ripping and provides together with the crunching bass lines a spine-chilling atmosphere. The drumming is a blast-beat assault and Annie Ramirez is capable to play at any pace she wants to. "Under My Skin" is one of the highlights on the album. "Fear" starts with pace and then there are plenty of rhythm changes throughout the track. Those frequent changes in tempo and rhythm are a kind of INTROTYL trademark, here performed to perfection. Again it is a very demanding track for the drummer and as the track goes on, the more the blast-beats and double-bass kick in.

"Inner War" has been the single release of "Vmbra" and it describes conceptually "Adfectus" very well. It is one of the few tracks on the album with extended slower periods, but it does not take anything away from the dark atmosphere thanks to vocalist Kary Ramos, whose growls and screams come directly from the abyss. The video link to "Inner War" is given below. "Anger" is a mix between short mid-tempo parts interrupted by insane speed. The guitar riffing is simple, but very effective. The bass lines of Sariux Rivera are driving the track forward, and Kary Ramos keeps it all together. In general, Kary Ramos has a lot of vocal contribution in every song, which is not often heard in traditional Death Metal.

"The Flame" is another pummeling track at blistering pace, interrupted by a couple of mid-tempo parts. The drumming is again iconic and I had the impression that Annie Ramirez follows her own textures at times. "Redemption" is another perfect description of the INTROTYL sound of past and present. The track is a fine piece of excellent guitar riffing in combination with cool bass lines, rhythm and song structure changes all over the track, and Kary Ramos does an amazing job as the overarching element. Her brutality in growling and screaming is second to none, in particular towards the end of the song when she screams out like a lunatic "Redemption". The song is surely another highlight on the album. "Zombified" is the album closer and this one starts at mid-tempo for nearly half of the playing time, but it would not be an INTROTYL track, if the madness would not start at some point. While the mid-tempo part has a lot of grooves, all hell break loose when Kary Ramos screams "Zombified". A perfect ending of an amazing album.

"Adfectus" is an outstanding Death Metal album. INTROTYL deliver their trademark sound at a very high level. The album is brutal and a straight-into-the-face 36 minutes pummelling of the listener. "Adfectus" establishes the band's very own and unique sound. All the instruments and the vocals have their own individual excellent contribution to the songs as well as a perfect interplay, which is evidence for good and mature songwriting. Highlights for me are the relentless drumming and the brutal vocals. The album is very well produced. INTROTYL set the bar very high for Death Metal releases in 2022 and "Adfectus" is for sure a must has in the album collection of every Death Metal fan.