From Bandcamp, "RANNOCH unveil their new opus, "Conflagrations", a 52-minute cut of untamed evolution. Accompanied by Australian drumming legend, Dan Presland (NE OBLIVISCARIS, BLACK LAVA) the seven tracks contained within open up new levels of musicality, punishing aggression, melancholic refrains and winding aural avenues of dark depths and complexity. Produced by Ian Gillings and mixed by James Stephenson, "Conflagrations" represents a new hybrid of Progressive Death Metal.

The album has seven songs, and "Degenerate Era" is the first. I suppose you could call this an introductory song to the album, as it is under three minutes. Clean guitars ring out slowly, with a dark and heavy tension in the air. The main riff drops along with some vocal chants, and Presland is off to a blistering pace on the kit. "Prism Black" is even heavier and more aggressive, and the guitars are drop-tuned. The harsh vocals and vile and filthy, and Presland shows his versatility on the kit. Much of the music is dissonant but the band sure moves through a myriad of time changes like experts. Those clean guitars and vocals at the half-way mark are a beautiful addition to the horrid tones of earlier, and the lead guitar work that follows is fantastic.

"Threads" is a bit shorter and more concise. The rhythms are punishing and the vocals deadly. Rich vocal harmonies smooth the edges and some more strong leads push the song into the stratosphere. The title track is a slow descent into your worst nightmare. Clean guitars ease into the experience, but when the hammer drops, it drops hard and with force. The grind is akin to being dragged through cobblestone streets behind a galloping horse. Eight minutes is about all the human body can take of this torture. "Daguerreotype" hears the nightmare continue in the waking state. It attacks your senses with a barrage of heavy accents and horrid vocals. The pace is blistering, and the drums never stop rolling. Again, the leads are so well done. They are as dexterous as they are fitting in with the music. "EarthRecycle" is another segue to the final song. It reminds me of space travel with its smooth, weightless tones.

"Threnody of a Dying Star" is the 17-minute closer. Clean guitars and vocals lead off the song, with almost jovial leanings. They tip-toe through your memories but never uncover anything dark or suspicious. A heavier riff drops about six minutes in, and the song veers onto the darker path. I can't say enough about the guitar work on the album. It is complex and yet catchy, and just bright enough when it needs to shine a light through the black sky. The quartet throws just about everything in their arsenal at you in this song...including piano, and moments of pure bliss. Taken as a whole, this is one of the best songs I have heard this year, and they really let these charming moments shine.

Overall, this is another standout album from a band that is quickly becoming one of the leaders of the Progressive Death Metal movement. Much of the album is dark and terrible, almost twisted in insanity. But there are moments of clarity, which are striking in their contrast. It is complex, yet accessible...brutal, yet charming...punishing, yet graceful. There is a lot to love on "Conflagrations."