The Boston band ZEALOTRY came on my radar two years ago with their sophomore album "The Last Witness" which offered a hefty portion of gloomy, spine-chilling, yet at the same time forward-looking Death Metal. The band's suffocating, Doom-infused sound takes a page from INCANTATION's book, but they also share Progressive tendencies and musical ambitions with innovators of the genre like GORGUTS. "The Last Witness" was among my favorite 2016 Death Metal albums and I'm stoked to review their newest release with the quite long-winded title "At the Nexus of All Stillborn Worlds".

ZEALOTRY don't play traditional Death Metal, there is something very progressive about the riffs and song structures. The riffs are angular, dissonant, often we hear almost bizarre intertwining guitar leads or bass lines. The riffs flow into each other and create an ebb and flow that move the music forward. It is not an accessible music, certainly not for a casual listen, but there is always some standout moment on the songs - chants, guitar solos or synth lines, all of which are sparsely used but always to a great effect. The title song is a sonic onslaught with a rumbling bass and monstrous growls that doesn't hold back, but towards the end we find chants that sound exalted, almost hymnic. On the third song "Lethe's Shroud" there is a stand-out solo that sounds like a MIDI music machine gone crazy, and we also have a short bass solo in the song.

Synths are used to a great effect on "Primus Venatoris", where they help to create an exalted feeling. That song also has a solo that within its context could only be described as "happy". "The Sky Bleeds Nightmares" is very aptly named, because it does have a really hellish atmosphere underscored by dramatic keys and chants. The eleven minute closer "Irredeemable" has some great hypnotic riffs in it's slower parts. As in all the songs, the guitar playing and drumming is very intricate (and there are some jaw-dropping moments in this song particularly) but at the same time there is no "overplaying" or overstepping of boundaries. All in all, this is a great addition to ZEALOTRY's discography. The album is an incremental step up in terms of production and the sophistication of arrangements. This band is definitely one of the top bands playing forward-thinking dissonant Death Metal out there.