LECHEROUS NOCTURNE have made quite the career for themselves over the past 15 years. Their self-titled EP lead to their signing to Unique Leader Records, a label home to giants of slam and brutal death metal such as ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY, ACRANIA, and INGESTED- just to name a few. They continue to keep good company now that they are signed to Willowtip Records, home to SLUGDGE, DEFEATED SANITY, and MALIGNANCY. Keeping company such as this, I have high expectations for this band before even listening to any material.

"By Conquest or Consent" opens with a strange, deceptively hard-rock style riff that returns in between sections. What follows is a riff very reminiscent of "None So Vile"-era CRYPTOPSY: blazing tremolo picked riffs and chaotic, snarling vocals. Even the production seems to have an early CRYPTOPSY flair to it. The strange intro riff returns in between sections, and a CANNIBAL CORPSE-style riff follows. This band likes to wear their influences on their sleeves: another riff that follows could easily be off of SKELETONWITCH's last release. The instrumental interlude is catchy, although overall it feels a bit sloppy, like the guitars and drums are slightly out of time with each other. Before the song ends, the drummer offers up some solid blast beats under more tremolo-picked riffs. I enjoy being able to pinpoint a band's influences, but this song seems to just combine a deliberately CRYPTOPSY riff with a deliberately CANNIBAL CORPSE riff with a deliberately SKELETONWITCH riff. But the song overall flows and progresses well; the stylistic changes keep it interesting.

The production has an old-school feel to it. As far as the drum mix goes, they have a great, clicky kick, but I wish the snare had more crack to it - the blast beats and accents would have a much greater impact, and it feels very low in the mix as well. I love Alex's cymbal work: the verse has him switching between what sounds like a china and a splash, giving it a very distinct sound. However, the high hat in the verses seems to be struggling to keep up with the tempo at times. The bass sits well and discernably in the mix. I really enjoy Josh's vocals - the few lows have a nice richness to them, and his more mid-range fry has a very distinct, distinguishable tone to it.

"Quantum Mysticism" immediately has an old-school MORBID ANGEL feel to it, the production style accentuating the old school style even more. This song is rife with tremolo-picking. The tension in the song builds beautifully straight from the beginning, and the various feel changes throughout the song help to keep it interesting. Again, Alex's cymbal work, particularly at 1:48, is impeccable - he makes great use of the entire kit. The song ends in a way that immediately captures your interest - it's my favorite part of the album so far. At 3:07, a quick lead guitar line enters and exits almost whimsically, and the song ends with super heavy, dissonant chords and aggressive toms. Something that I appreciate about Josh's vocals is that I can understand what he is saying without having to look up lyrics; while immediately understandable lyrics aren't crucial in death metal, it is a rare occurrence and a pleasant surprise.

The title track, "Occultaclysmic", immediately opens with neck-breaking, chaotic brutality. The sections overall are again very reminiscent of "None So Vile"-era CRYPTOPSY. This song has a much more technical feel than the last two songs - it is pure, structured chaos. There are some refreshing breaks from the technical, such as the sections beginning in the second minute, which are less technical but very catchy and straightforward. They serve as a palate cleanser for when the technicality of the first minute returns at 2:47. The drums are really something to be marveled at and are the factor that pulls everything together. They complement the style so well, themselves a whole other aspect of the technical mayhem.

"Tower of Silence" also has a techier feel than the first two songs. The drum beat at 0:29 is unexpected, with a laid-back, effortless heaviness, until it switches to the more expected but welcome blast beats at 0:47. Again, the cymbal work is fantastic, with classic Gene Hoglan-style accents. At times it still feels like the drums are struggling to keep up with the tempo. The feel change 1:04 moves the song along in a tension-building progression. It does seem like the same riffs are repeating themselves without enough variation to justify it, although playing the main riff down the octave halfway through the sections is a great deviation. Another feel change at 3:39 is exactly what the song needs to keep the interest and the energy going. The drums work wonderfully with the riff to build the tension. The riff dropping at 4:17 has a much greater impact than the one that drops earlier in the song in similar fashion - it makes the earlier one seem very lackluster in comparison. James' distorted bass fill is a fun one, and it lets you know that something heavy and exciting is about to follow. The section itself, tremolo-picked riff with blast beats underneath, is catchy but, again, does not vary enough to keep it super interesting.

"Remembrance" opens with a soft piano and acoustic guitar. While I'm kind of over the trend of using piano in song intros, this one builds in a way that is really enjoyable to listen to, with heavy open chords and a simple but purposeful drum pattern entering as the intro progresses. The song builds and progresses minimalistically and fluidly, with the open chords changing to tremolo-picking and the drums changing between simple boom-tap patterns, sporadic but, again, purposeful fills, and blazing double kick patterns, and even a small lead guitar line sneaking in and exiting inconspicuously. The riff stays the same pretty much the entire length of the song, and I don't think it needed to be 5 minutes long - it felt like it should be ending around the 3:50 mark, but there are so many small variances going on that it keeps me intrigued. This instrumental track is definitely my favorite on the album so far.

"Unidimensional Eclipse" jumps right back into the more technical style. I love the unexpected entrance of the vocals. This song is the one that really revitalizes the album. This track contains this immense, blazing energy that is missing in the other songs. This one also builds beautifully. The riff that enters at 1:28 for only two phrases is haunting, and I can confidently say it's my favorite riff on the album; I really wish that the band had chosen to expand on it. The section that enters at 3:07 is beautifully chaotic; the drum fills are incendiary and the vocals are full and rich primal brutality. This song just keeps building and keeps the energy going from start to finish: this one is the highlight of the album, and one that I can say is purely LECHEROUS NOCTURNE, as opposed to the first few CRYPTOPSY-influenced or SKELETONWITCH-esque songs.

"Psionics" keeps the chaotic energy going. One thing that this band does is make great use of octaves, something heavily underutilized and under-appreciated in any genre. The feel change at 1:07 is so heavy, and makes great use of silence, something that can be very powerful in a song. This song is where Josh's vocals really get to shine, with snarling lows of pure aggression interchanging with his normal mid-range fry. It's a great change-up from the rest of the album. The riffs are on the techier side but are also catchy and fun to listen to. The riff that enters at 2:20 is incendiary, the drums complementing the chaotic build, and the riff that follows is another stunning change-up, with high-range chords on the guitar at aurally pleasing intervals. I have to say, the second half of this album is infinitely more enjoyable for me than the first half. "Unidimensional Eclipse" and "Psionics" have an undeniable energy, technicality, and overall catchiness that the first half was missing, and it gives the band a unique style all their own.

"Time's Ceaseless Onslaught" opens with an ominous, atmospheric intro, with a dissonant but catchy riff following. The unexpected lead guitars on top, again extremely distorted, are enjoyable and actually contribute to the song. I just wish the tone was a bit cleaner and had more mids to it to fill it out and help balance the harshness. This feels like a nice palate cleanser before the song blasts in and punches you in the throat at 1:13 - back to the onslaught of incendiary, technical but catchy riffage with constant chaotic changes in the drum patterns to keep up with the furious guitar riffs. After the intro, this song is three minutes of completely relentless, brutal energy that refuses to let up. I feel like I need to stop and take a breather after this song because it's just pure, furious, smoldering mayhem. The second half of this album is really a pleasant surprise; the band seems to really step up their game in these last few songs, and I wish the first half of this album had the same insane, face-smashing intensity.

"Planet of the Crossing" has a minute-long intro of the same riff repeated with little variance. I wish they had scrapped this first minute altogether. The song goes into an old-school style for the next minute, and I'm relieved when it finally transforms into the chaotic, energetic, techier style with a hint of black metal that this band can obviously excel at. The vocals, again, really shine on this track, going between brutal, rich lows and the characteristic mid-range fry. The riff that begins at 5:00 is simple and catchy, but the drums and, again, the cymbal work and Alex's use of the kit to the fullest extent is really what elevates it and pulls the song together.

The second half of this album was really a pleasant surprise. While I enjoyed the CRYPTOPSY feel that was present in a lot of the first half, the second half is what exemplifies LECHEROUS NOCTURNE's own individual sound. This band can obviously excel at techy yet catchy sections, and I hope to hear more of that from the next release. Alex's drumming on this album impressed me; while maybe not as technically proficient as other drummers of the genre, he makes full use of the drum kit and utilizes cymbals in unexpected ways - I don't know about you, but I love when a drummer can surprise me. Some of his accents were really reminiscent of Gene Hoglan's style. If the blast beats and faster sections could stay consistent the whole way through, this drummer could really be a force to be reckoned with. I also wish the guitar tones were less harsh; metal guitars can be crunchy and still rich and full. The technical sections are unquestionably this band's greatest strengths.