Spirit of Rebellion returns with their new album "Transcendent Chaos," breaking half a decade of wait time. This Canadian quintet features guitarists, bassists, drummers and vocalists that have been under the name Spirit of Rebellion since 2002. Two members even share a name! The dudes claim to channel the energy of Morbid Angel, Immolation, and early Diecide, so they're apparently among the greatest of the greats. "Transcendent Chaos" goes "uncharted," and the album is to be chock-full of carnivorous riffs, blast-driven insanity, and "twisted." Say no more! I'm sat for "Transcendent Chaos." 

A lead single has to ideally represent the best of an album. "Pernicious Supremacy" as a lead single pretty much does. It opens with very chunky bass paired with groovy drums, and unleashes into a blast-beat frenzy that never loses steam. Brutal. The vocals come in, and while they sound a bit interesting on the mixing side, they're solid, and pretty low for a guttural. Everything is being thrown at me 200%, and it's simply great. This track was a great blast of technical and brutal-ish death metal.

Now time for the full project. It opens with the mouthful of a "The Redemptive Force Of Rejection," Some drab ambience builds into a climax of vocal fists punching at your ears. The drums evolve to an endlessly-pounding state, and with the riffs, make my head sway with ease. It's been a while since I've listened to such a technical and concise song that also has such easy, melodic moments. A ripping guitar solo rounds off the brutal opener. Second up, it's "Sublimation Of Lower Nature." The drums reach inhuman speed, with a fills that'll make you lean back in your seat, impressed. I've now grown into the mixing of the vocals, which seemed a bit off at first, but I've come around. For them, it's just another instrument to utilize to it's absolute extent. Guitars in guitar stores tell stories about the times Nicolas Auclair and JF Cote came in. "Seed Or Revenge" layers riffs into a sea of noise, and in this ever-flowing sea I can clearly hear the bass - a very important part for me. It's always speeding up with the drumming, so when this song slows the pace for a bit, it hits harder. "Dormant Nothingness" isn't the greatest name for the fourth track, as everything seems to happen: lightning-fast instrumentals that take on a groovier feel. There's even some slams that did get some jolts out of me.

The second half of the LP is as maximalist as the first. "Pour Abbattre L'Ineluctable" may be in French, but the lyrics are inaudible by my standards. Not a problem though, I can just listen to them take on a slightly black metal-esque style: ghastly, hollow, and not my favorite off of the album. "The Cold Indifference Of The Universe"  shows the more melodic side of the band, and the atmosphere is played upon more. Not to worry, they launch back into usual Spirit of Rebellion antics soon after. I think this was my favorite track due to the introduction of slower moments, while still keeping the technicality. "Transmigration Of Soul" is dense in, well, everything, so I got some Cryptopsy vibes. Not the first time I got Cryptopsy, either. Lengthy solos and a wall of instrumentation are attributes of both bands. The final track of this monolith is "Nyctophilia." A shorter track, but packs the same punch as the rest.

Well damn! I can really tell that Spirit of Rebellion's five-year break was spent diligently on this record. "Transcendent Chaos" never lets up in brutality, instrumentation, and all-around insanity, just like what was promised. I wouldn't say they're similar in sound to the bands they claim, but more so of Cryptopsy, Dead and Dripping, and others around that vein. A great technical and brutal death metal album that was a real joy to listen to.