IRREVERSIBLE MECHANISM are a Prog/Tech Death Metal band from Belorus, a tough East European country that became a fully independent nation only after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "Immersion" is their second album and it's coming out on Blood Music. Their music can be lumped together with other modern Death Metal bands with Technical and/or Progressive leanings like FALLUJAH or PERSEFONE. Like these bands, IRREVERSIBLE MECHANISM's songs have a thick, melancholic atmosphere, have extended instrumental sections and incorporate atmospheric passages.

The albums opens with a two-part piece titled "Existence".  It has a VANGELIS-esque intro with spacey distorted synths and soothing chants, but this is only silence before the storm. Then the song goes full throttle with fast riffing, sweep picking, blast beats and forceful and emotional vocals. The song has an atmospheric mid-section with the same vocal chants that we hear in the intro. The six and a half minutes long "Abolution" shifts between a blasty verse and a relaxed, melancholic chorus with vocal chants and shouted vocals - it is impactful but not a very memorable as a hook. We find the same shifts between calm and brootal (I insist on this spelling and I will do so even when I play Scrabble) in "Footprints in the Sand", the chorus consists only of chanting that kind of hangs in the background - there is no strong vocal hook that sticks out. I really like the bit jazzy mid-section with a bubbly bass in this song. The eight song "Immersion" has a chorus with a more prominent vocal melody (with Death growls), but we don't find it so much throughout the album.

If I had to point out a weakness on this otherwise rather excellent album it's the lack of stronger hooks that would make the song more memorable. The album is full of great ideas that are very well executed, but I feel like the songs can feel a bit "samey". It is surely difficult to write memorable songs in this more instrumental-leaning style of Metal, it's a sign of real strength when a band can combine the technical approach with memorable melodies, and unfortunately - at least in my view - IRREVERSIBLE MECHANISM isn't fully there yet. The music is fun to listen to, but it can become a little bit too much when you get to the end of this 50 minutes long album, which - by the way - has two instrumental songs (the longer one of them is a quite a memorable piece with some electronica elements - it's not a filler) and an short outro. But that being said the music does kick major ass, it is full of good ideas that are nicely put together. This talented band deserves your attention, especially if you're a Tech Death fan.

Songwrting: 8