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CROTALUS
Pre Programmed Decimation EP

Self-released (2023)
Rating: 7/10

I had not stumbled upon this Colorado act before, but when I saw one of the band photos I thought they might have been a crossover thrash act. Instead, what you get here is a two-song EP of nasty death metal fronted by a chap named Bryan Kane whose style drifts between a standard guttural death metal bellow to a snappier yap.

Musically, the five-piece offer well-structured and diverse death metal that is happy to shift between slower mechanics and the expected fast pace bludgeoning, but there is a lot more to this posse as showcased on the title track. There is some excellent lead work on offer, tyrannical percussion and plenty of interesting shifts.

Far from being cavernous, dank or doom-laden, Pre Programmed Decimation sometimes sways with a thrashy lean, and yet ‘Those Awakened Will Never Sleep Again’ begins with a foreboding doominess before exploiting interesting spurts of speed. But again the vocal traits seem to alter and so you are always guessing as to what the next move of the band will be.

I would like to praise Kane and the rest of the band – Mark Janzen (guitar), Devan Fechner (guitar), Chris Lyttle (bass) and E.J. Hennie (drums) – for producing some very interesting death metal that isn’t afraid to experiment.

Neil Arnold

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