Band's List Brutal Death Dãm (UK-2) The Difference Engine

In keeping with the individual voice that made this band stand out in their first opus Purity [the Darwinian Paradox], the English quartet have upped the ante and further defined their identity.

Equipped with a production that somehow walks the tightrope between raw power and intelligibility, Dãm have yet again crafted a captivating, diverse and decidedly darker outing altogether that oozes a power that far surpasses the debut.

From the unapologetically necro opening riff, the band seamlessly span a dizzying range of sonorities, from breakneck hyperspeed blast-beat tech-death to crushingly heavy and majestic riff-driven insanity, the first track gives a glimpse into the rest of the album. In fact, from the thrash-tastic and epic “Eyeballing”, to the dynamic instrumetal veture that is “New Quest” and the almost unbearably heavy “This Has Nothing To Do With Apathy”, with intricate instrumentation Dām effortlessly fuse styles from right across the extreme music spectrum into one coherent twisted metal sculpture. Among the mayhem, one can catch glimpses of Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, and Celtic Frost.

Made complete by the extroadinary vocal range on display, this relentless assault of sonic insanity kills at every turn, yet remains strangely enlightening. “The Difference Engine” is one of those rare albums that endures, regardless of the number of listens and will not fail to satiate the appetites of extreme metal fans from across the board.

A masterful stroke, then, by one of the UK’s most underrated bands.