"Aftermath" is the third full-length release from the German death metal band, TORTURIZED. This band incorporates flourishes of electronic soundscapes into their almost technical death metal sound. I wouldn't characterize their music as full-on tech-death because of their use of melody and song structure. Their chops measure up, and they definitely have what it takes to create an impressive album.

"Inversion" starts with a twenty-second synthwave passage before the first guitar notes take over. The electronic effects are interwoven throughout this song. Also, the music comes in fits and starts, punctuated by bass drops. There are some great blast beats in this song as well. "Inversion" incorporates the electronic elements better than any other track on "Aftermath."

"Ecocide" begins with a brief synth line before the drums and guitar introduce some rapid-fire vocals that give way to ravenous blast beats. Once the song's intensity is established, a catchy death metal hook drives the song forward. At roughly one minute and forty seconds, the guitars come out to play. The resulting solo is exactly what the song needs at this point. Later, the music fades out and back in, and an excellent bass guitar-led passage introduces the final verse. This is a dense song that doesn't feel overwhelming, thanks to the excellent songwriting.

"Nebula" is the most tech-death track on "Aftermath" and is another well-written track. The instrumentation meshes so perfectly that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I found the high-pitched effect on the backing vocals to be somewhat jarring, and there are a couple of instrumental passages that go on for slightly longer than I would have liked. This would have been a flawless offering if they shaved off about a minute. These issues aren't deal-breakers, though, and the song is thoroughly enjoyable.

"Dissolution" is straightforward. The vocals sound great, but the delivery is too slow for my liking. The vocals pick up here and there, but not enough to counter the drawn-out delivery. The instrumentation, however, is great, featuring some nice breakdowns and memorable riffing at the three-minute mark. Unfortunately, the vocal delivery brings the song down.

"Insomnia" is a proper instrumental that doesn't feel like filler. At three minutes long, it is almost double the length of the album's earlier instrumental passage, "Haven," which felt like filler. What "Insomnia" has going for it is the instruments' remarkable harmony with the electronic elements. There are some impressive bass licks over some interstellar electronica. The ambient parts fit well into the background and serve as a fine foundation for a pleasant song.

The final track, "Aftermath," closes the album with a bang. As with almost every track, this one starts off with an electronic interlude. After that has been established, some remarkable music takes the stage. There are some sweet riffs, two different flavors of blast beats, and slow, growled vocals that fit nicely this time. The hook is bright and airy with tremolo accents. There is also lots of room for each passage to breathe. The instrumentation is spot on. This is by far my favorite track on "Aftermath."

I found this album to be a mixed bag. There isn't anything egregious on display and everything works more often than not. Unfortunately, there are a couple of tracks that left me checking to see how much time there was until the next song came on. While those "time checks" were infrequent, I did like most of the album. It just started to wear a little thin after the third or fourth listen.