II: The Reign of Darkness

Remember that band that produced a fairly decent deathcore EP and full-length album, then decided to pull a Job For a Cowboy and switch to a full death metal sound? Oh, right! That was Annotations of an Autopsy. Released in 2010, "II: The Reign of Darkness" is AOAA's first, and only, true death metal album. Unfortunately, only a year and a half after this, the band would release an absolutely terrible Emmure styled EP before disbanding eventually in 2013. It really blows my mind how a band could put out an album like this after evolving their sound only to go back to deathcore, and not even a good sounding deathcore. Anyway, I'll just consider this album their swansong and forget the "Dark Days" EP altogether. This album was the result of a band changing their already fairly solid sound for the better.

This was as musically complex and technical as AOAA ever got. The breakdowns are gone and have been replaced by full on death metal riffs and a few guitar solos here and there. There really aren't any deathcore moments on this album to speak of. "Catastrophic Hybridization" contains some of the most impressive instances of soloing and riff work, although my favorite track from this album remains the epic "Bone Crown". This song begins with a barrage of slow, sludgy riffs and an almost operatic yet haunting chant. This is actually one of the instances of a familiar ground with this band, utilizing gang vocals. This song shows how randomly the band can change pace, beginning at a slow pace and quickly moving on to a furious blast. "Impale the Sun" also contains some of my favorite riffs throughout this 45 minute album. This song relies heavily on groove and creates a very heavy atmosphere.

The drums on this album are extremely varied and absolutely crushing. Lyn Jeffs is the man to thank for that. Best known for his work with Ingested, which is no doubt extremely impressive, he doesn't just stick with insanely fast blast beats here. This is somewhat ironic, because when you take what he does with Ingested into account, you usually can expect a lot of blast beats. On this album, he varies his style a lot. He uses double bass, a very technical style of drumming that changes in conjunction with the music, and when he needs to, on rare occasion, he will provide a blast beat. But this does not make up the entire song, and that is a very welcomed change.

The guitars and drums are extremely different on this album in comparison to AOAA's prior releases, but these are not the only changes. Where are the br00tal pig squeals??? There are no "brees" to be found anywhere on this album. Pig squeals are okay with me, and AOAA was decent enough as a deathcore band to use them, unlike certain bands like Chelsea Grin. Steve Regan decided to ditch his -core vocal technique in favor of, as you probably already have guessed, a standard death metal vocal style. He uses punishing death growls and grunts, and sounds really good doing it. I'm thankful for this, as if he would have kept his old vocal style, it would have definitely not fit in with the music. There are also some higher pitched screams in songs like "In Snakes I Bathe" which sound pretty cool as well. This may only be a standard style of death metal vocals with little variation overall, but for this crushing album with a pure death metal sound, it works.

I really would have loved to see AOAA release more material in this musical style. It sucks that the band actually decided to disband after the aforementioned "Dark Days" EP. I seriously don't see how that EP holds any musical value and, if they would have possibly made an EP in this direction, they would have ended on a much higher note. It is what it is though. Thanks at least for this album, AOAA. It's a solid piece of death metal.

Annotations of an Autopsy's career has followed a similar path to equally despised genre-mates Job For A Cowboy. They started with a terrible EP, moved toward a more death metal sound that didn't quite shun all the -core elements, before finally reaching a pure death metal point. Unfortunately, unlike JFAC, it didn't work completely in AoAA's favor. Don't get me wrong. I do like this album, but it's very forgettable compared to it's predecessor.

The tracks range from excellent (Portrait of Souls, In Snakes I Bathe) to competent (Cryogenica, Bone Crown) to unmemorable (Emptiness, Catastrophic Hybridization). While there is more good than bad on here, it's still not a completely flawless album.

The change from deathcore to death metal is brave, and AoAA have made sure that they're still -core enough for their old school fans, i.e. placing a couple of breakdowns here and there, more in the vein of Suffocation than anyone else. The band have also added solos to the mix, and while BTTOI contained one or two, they're far more frequent here. The problem with this is, the solos aren't memorable and all sound very similar. Competent playing is all well and good, but when it doesn't stand out, it's not the most successful piece of your music. The riffs are mid-paced and groovy, not dissimilar to those you'd expect from Immolation.

I don't remember the bass being that audible, so I assume the bassist just followed the guitars, so i'll move right on to the drumwork, performed by Ingested's Lyn Jeffs. When you think of Ingested, you think stupidly fast blast beats, but you don't have any of that here. It's reasonably varied and technical. Some blasts here for the faster parts, a fill for when the music shifts into a lower tempo. In short, the drummer does what he should when he needs to.

The only thing that underwent a significant change is the vocals. Regan abandoned his approach of rapid shifts between snarls, shrieks and pig squeals for a more traditional death growl, quite similar to Immolation frontman Ross Dolan. While those who detested his old style will think this is was a good decision, I don't. It lacks character and sounds forced in places, like he's trying to much to sound legit.

Overall, a solid effort, and certainly worth a listen. Just know you'll have to hear it a few times to tell different tracks apart.

Annotations of an Autopsy, a band once so terrible in terms of sound and genre that they were hated by metal heads worldwide, now they are getting huge praise off of this mature release. Are we really talking about the same band? Yes indeed, AOAA have really pulled their pants up and actually did something rather productive, here's the good part: it's not deathcore! Not only do I dislike deathcore, I hate it with a burning passion. Sorry, I don't mean to ramble but it's definitely something we (metal heads with half a mind) can all agree on.

AOAA then:

Let's face it, their Sludge City EP was not even close to being interesting just like their first album "Before the Throne of Infection", they were both very plain and stereotypical deathcore albums with lame titles like "Gore Gore Gadget" and "Prosthetic Erection", not to mention a lot of "Bree-ing and horhor-ing" in the vocal tracks. To make a long story short, they were a bunch of dudes who had absolutely no idea what the term "metal" even was. To some who liked AOAA from the very beginning thought this album was "br00tal" or "HxC ("hardcore")" when in reality the band had a brutality level of a 3 year old toddler. The guitars were way too distorted for my liking, distorted as in you couldn't hear anything, not even a power chord from these guys. The bass, completely inaudible, not once would you hear the brutal "chunk" sound that every metal band must have. The drums were the only best feature because the drummer seemed to be the only one who had any skill whatsoever, the pedals were well executed, blast beats were fantastic, nothing more and nothing less.

AOAA now:

I must say, I had my doubts before listening to their latest release, but this was worth the listen. This goes to show that you can't knock it before you try it, honestly, on a serious note: well done! The band has really stepped up their game in terms of production and sound, most importantly they dropped the deathcore thing. They completely changed everything: sound, vocals, guitars and other instruments and even the logo, I don't what the fuck happened but it seemed like the band had an epiphany of some sort, they were probably thinking the same thing as any other true metal head would think: deathcore isn't hardcore whatsoever. Period.

The vocals have dramatically changed, the vocalist really added some grit and power to his talent now and has seen the light, or should I say the dark abyss that is known as metal. His vocals are mostly low growls and then he adds some black metal high vocals in songs like "Portrait of Souls" and "In Snakes I Bathe". His work is just, well, "pure fucking hate". The guitars, especially the lead, have added some solos to their tracks! An example would be songs like "Catastrophic Hybridyzation" or "Cryogenica" which really blew me away.
You can actually hear the rumble of the bass now and I must say it really packs a punch with the guitar tracks, it makes the songs more dark and brutal, which are two crucial things for death metal. The drums haven't changed a bit and that's a good thing, the only thing that actually changed were the breakdowns (which are now gone). Sure there are some breakdown-ish parts in the songs, but they make it sound like it isn't one because they don't kill the speed and intensity, which breakdowns do end up doing, killing it. All in all, this album really is a metal milestone for this band and I'm looking forward to a new realease in the near future.

Best songs: "Cryogenica", "In Snakes I Bathe", "Impale the Sun", "Emptiness", "Portrait of Souls" and "Born Dead"

Thank god all the major deathcore bands have dropped their fun deathcore sound in favor of shitty Behemoth replication; I was really getting sick of enjoying my music. I know that when I listen to a band full of short-haired guys in Tapout shirts what I really want to hear is a bunch of guys with no interest in the style copying death metal with no idea how to make that style interesting!

Annotations Of An Autopsy completely shit themselves with this album. 'Before The Throne Of Infection' was a fun if relatively unremarkable deathcore album, but on 'II: The Reign Of Darkness' (even the title's shittier) the band decided to drop the metalcore (probably in a misguided bid towards 'legitimacy') in favor of really fucking bland death metal mostly stolen from Behemoth and other, better bands. The interesting moments on this album can be counted on one hand- gone are the fun gang vocals, the thuggish breakdowns, all the personality in favor of... what, exactly? Adding to your fanbase a bunch of death metal fans who STILL won't fucking like you?

I guess the primary influences at play here are Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse (which seems to be par for the course for deathcore bands turned death metal). There's still a breakdown here and there, but instead of thuggish and hardcore it's usually something ripped from the Decapitated back catalog and reapplied to modern shitty death metal standards. Other inclusions to worm their way into the death metal scene: some awful Egyptian scale solos, slow, 'epic' sections, and, oh yeah, the removal of anything that could be construed as catchy or interesting from the music. I feel like the band just shot me in the balls for loving them too much.

The real problem is that with the metalcore went all of the personality of this band. Annotations Of An Autopsy, more than most popular deathcore bands, was defined by their thuggish, brutal vibe and great deathcore riffing- with all that gone, where does that leave us? With an incredibly boring, lifeless death metal album, of course! Deathcore bands cannot write pure death metal- if they wanted to do that, they'd be in death metal bands- and basically every attempt from a deathcore band to become pure death metal has been a miserable failure because the genres are simply not that similar to each other. Yeah, Annotations Of An Autopsy can string together some lame double bass sections and bland tremolo riffs, but it doesn't make them a death metal band anymore than naming your jazz album 'Orgy Of Gore' does.

This sucks. If you actually like this band, don't buy this album. Hopefully it will send the message that we want our deathcore bands to stay deathcore. Stop cross-contaminating the genres, people! I want to fist them 'til they're sick again!

Every once in a while I’m proven slightly wrong. And I’m not ashamed to admit fault when I know it to be true (were you to try and fault me for something I find untrue, however, then you and I are gonna have a tangle, so once sayeth Mr. Anderson). Take into account my belief that, for what it’s worth, death metal is on a slow, dying path; I’ve been able to listen to a lot of newer deathish acts these days and haven’t found anything redeemable, as if all these bands collectively put the genre’s gear into “neutral” and let it just idle while other, more palatable bands and genres fly right past. That’s not a good thing, the way I see it (but then again, I’ve never considered myself the biggest death metal fan in general…), and time and again one has to fall back on the folks who made the style what it was to ensure proper gory mayhem. In fact, it’s been so desolate on the horizon that I doubted I’d EVER find a death metal act worth their weight in hacksaws and axes.

That was, until I gave this Annotations of an Autopsy a whirl…

OK, so Annotations… isn’t a completely metallic entity, as they seem part of the newly British deathcore realm, but as far as deathcore goes this isn’t a complete and utter waste of time and plastic. That modernized approach is very much present in the central performance (I really can’t describe it with words; it’s something you just have to hear and notice yourself) coupled with the murderous violence of yesteryear (not so much yesterdecade, though) that distances the band a bit from their earlier breakdown-heavy roots to a certain extent and takes in a sort of demented melody not unlike early Through the Eyes of the Dead and vintage Whitechapel, a strangely Americanized feel from this Cockneyed group of moistened dinks. When taken at face value, this is actually a fairly decent piece of work, which should warrant some brownie points given the whole limited deathcore approach (a hard enough style to perfect), with the wayward arrangements, blinding riffs, melodic ticklings, bestial drum work and undercooked Dethkloky growls/higher rasp hybrid vocal stylings all coalescing as cleanly as the genre would allow, showing some definitive skill in the instrumentation department and leaving little to no breathing room for the listener to sit down and clear his/her head. Problem is, though, that that craziness and overall sense of anarchistic brutality doesn’t make a complete product no matter how well-meaning, and as time progressed I found my attention being deviated into something other than taking in every ounce of Annotations of an Autopsy handed to me in my silver, troll-hand-handled goblet (clipping my fingernails…taking a sip of cold coffee…staring at my feet…). Not that they don’t try; try they do, where the likes of “Born Dead”, “Emptiness” and “Impale the Sun” attempt to do to a certain avail…but, like I’ve always said, I want more than just simplistic heaviness; I want MUSIC, I want that infectious SOMETHING that sticks to you, to ensure that you become a RIGHT band rather than a RIGHT NOW band. I don’t know if Annotations can be that type of band, but it might just be too early to tell.

All in all, “The Reign of Darkness” isn’t a bad listen, but it still left me a bit hungry for something more satiating. Guess that’s been the overall appeal of deathcore, and if these bands want to survive into the turn of the new decade, they better try to find something that would make all us old fogie metal folk sit up and take notice; after all, the expendable youth they cater to have to grow up too, and chances are they’ll be on the look out for that very same something that keeps us afloat. Yellow light.

Newly transformed death metal band Annotations of An Autopsy delivers their first full-length album since switching genres from the stale realm of deathcore. This album is definitely a move in the right direction for the band in terms of musical growth, but there are still areas in which the band relies heavily on the chug-a-lug breakdowns that somehow made them famous.

Lets be honest. The genre of deatchore catches a lot of flack for being a lazy genre. But, after hearing a lot of the music that is popular in the genre, it is easy to see why. Most bands rely too heavily on mindless breakdowns and poor lyrical essence. Clearly, Annotations of An Autopsy wanted to prove themselves as musicians on this album. I don't know if I can say their efforts fully payed off. True, this album has some good ol' death metal influence to it. But, just because there is influence, doesn't mean it's good. Most of the tracks on this album feel rushed, and as if they are only there for filler. The riffs have a tendency to build to a stupidly slow breakdown that sounds far too familiar for my liking. There are guitar solos in the most random spots in songs, and the drums seem to be doing the same exact thing every track, while the bass is completely inaudible. With this release, it seems like the band had a bunch of riffs that they had written, and decided to throw together in random order without any time or thought.

The poor structure leads to a lack of emotion in the music. For most death metal bands these days, it seems pretty clear about what they are pissed off about. I get the feeling through the music that the band produced, that they don't really know why they are pissed, other then because they are supposed to to fit in. While this album was aimed to establish them as a death metal act to be taken seriously, it has really only reduced them to that awkward kid that stands in the corner at a party talking to himself.

The final thing that truly bugged me about this album were the lyrics. I'm going to be frank. They sound like they were written by a five year old, and they are on the same level as the lyrics displayed on Howl's "Full of Hell" album. The only difference between the two is that "Full of Hell" has some good music to drown out the awful lyrics. The same can't be said for "II: The Reign of Darkness." The piss-pour lyrical content is clearly displayed in tracks such as "In Snakes I Bathe," where the lyrics "You make me fucking sick" are present at least six different times in the song. Again, the songs feel like filler. If all you're coming up with is "You make me fucking sick" over and over again, it sounds like you need a new writing implement.

Though there are a lot of negative aspects to this album, it isn't all awful. Songs like "Catastrophic Hybridization" and "Impale the Sun" show that there is some driving force of death metal on the album. The band actually formed some decent riffs that were head-bang worthy. Unfortunately, said riffs didn't last long enough, and transpired into nothing more then another heartless breakdown. All the same, it's a serious step in a good direction. Hopefully on their next release, there will be more music like it.

All in all, this album was a failed attempt at being a legitimate death metal release. The band reverted back to their lazy roots far too much, and didn't spend nearly enough time making fresh, quality music. The riffs, solos, and drum beats are all too bland and stale to give the album any more presence then a stale bag of marshmallows. Do yourself a favor and skip this album if you are into real death metal. If you're more of a deathcore listener, then chances are you'll be enjoying this album a lot more than I will.

I had to choose a rating of around 80, anything higher and I would've felt like a liar but anything in the 70s looked too low...

Lets be honest, a lot of metalheads dislike AOAA. And not without good reason, their Sludge City EP was pretty retarded and Before the Throne of Infection (despite a few good songs like Human Dust and Prosthetic Erection) wasn't much better - it was groovy and they're great fun live but it was hard to get past the irritating vocals and general... stupidity of it. This release is far more mature and, well, metal than their previous work, relying less on breakdowns and 'br00tal' vocals than actual riffs and proper vocals. Not to say they've completely gotten rid of the breakdowns, but they're used far more tastefully here (and if I'm honest, I do like them as a guilty pleasure). It's also far more crushingly heavy than any of their other work.

The vocals have improved huuuugely, just listen to the start of In Snakes I Bathe to see how far he has come since the 'breebree horrhorrhorr' of his previous works! Steve actually now does proper death metal vocals instead of his constant bree-ing, and he's pretty good at it if I'm honest! They're deep and meaty and throaty and its surprisingly easy to work out what he's saying (although it's pretty easy to work that out in songs like Born Dead...). He even breaks out more screeched, black metal-style vocals in songs such as Portrait Of Souls, and although it isn't used much it still adds a bit of variety. The old gang chants are back (another guilty pleasure of mine, I loved the 'These corpses, are mine!' chant in Keeper of the Plaguelands on Before the Throne...) but again are used tastefully, only being used in the otherwise forgettable Bone Crown. Im no expert on musical technique or instruments so I cant tell you if the drumming has improved or if the guitar work is more technical as I have literally no idea, but I can say that the guitars are now playing far more memorable parts (listen to Cryogenica from 2:20 onwards, is that not very groovy and almost like some Rock n Roll song?) and the production makes all the individual pieces work together to create a deep, bassy feel which feels like a thick, sludgy, suffocating cloud. It's quite a claustrophobic album actually, something which is helped by the occasional samples (especially the intro track, listen to that with good headphones...)

The song titles and lyrics have also improved on this release, as they have moved away from the puerile gore of Fisted to the Point of Regurgitation and Prosthetic Erection (a great song title if I'm honest) and now seem to be focusing more on the end of humanity and the reign of darkness (oh wait that's the name of the title, pretty self-explanatory really). So yeah, they've stopped with their kinda silly attempts at gory songs.

Something which is quite noticeable in this album is that each song, despite any huge lack of variety, is quite different. This immediately makes this superior to many other deathcore releases (although I'm not sure if this still qualifies so much as deathcore... ok it does a bit but it's very close to death metal) which all seem to blend together and have 10 songs which sound EXACTLY the same. This album can start to blend together a bit (especially the second half) but there are little things that make individual songs different, such as the beginning and solos of Catastrophic Hybridization, or the slower, thundering grooves of Impale the Sun. This is a far better crafted album than their previous works, and it's obvious that a lot more work and effort went into creating each song than in their other releases.

I am very impressed with this album, and feel that AOAA have advanced greatly. They are no longer amongst the ranks of the pig squealing deathcore runts: they are leaders of the scene and have wisely advanced their sound rather than remaining on the doomed deathcore bandwagon (seriously, how much longer can it last before it becomes COMPLETELY worthless). I hope that they continue to advance and that I get to see them live again sometime soon, as these tunes are pretty immense live: really get the moshing and headbanging going!

If you dont like deathcore, then you might not like this but you should give it a try to see how a once maligned deathcore act has now advanced (it may just give you faith again in the modern metal scene). If you don't like AOAA then check this out, as you may be pleasantly surprised!

Standout tracks: In Snakes I Bathe, Catastrophic Hybridization, Impale the Sun, Cryogenica.

There are always bands that have a bad reputation with "true" metalheads, although honestly, most of the time that reputation is well deserved. Most "true" death metal fans would not be caught dead listening to bands like Waking the Cadaver or Suicide Silence. In the past, the UK band Annotations of an Autopsy has fallen into that category as well. The band's first EP, Welcome to Sludge City (2007), was pretty much unlistenable to my death metal ears. It was way too deathcore for my tastes with its pig squeals, breakdowns, and gang vocals. When the Before the Throne of Infection full-length followed in 2008, it was definitely an improvement, but still not far enough removed from the EP. Now, AOAA is back with its new release II: The Reign of Darkness, and it seems that they are making an effort to change their style and maybe even gain some respect. But have they succeeded in this effort?

The first thing that caught my attention about II: The Reign of Darkness was the album cover. The Par Olofsson artwork was amazing. As "judging a book by its cover" as it sounds, I have to admit that it made me want to hear the album since I identify Olofsson's work with so many of my favorite recent death metal albums. Even the AOAA logo was different. Were these guys trying to present themselves as a "real" death metal band now? Would this be a new album to add to that list of Olofsson emblazoned favorites? Like their previous releases, I decided to give it a fair chance and see.

II: The Reign of Darkness is a great leap forward from AOAA's earlier efforts. Most of the deathcore trappings, including breakdowns, have been greatly reduced, even if they haven't been completely eliminated. The guitars have improved noticeably since past releases. They have a much better, clearer tone and are most impressive when they occasionally channel the spirit of Morbid Angel. The guitars are mainly rhythm driven however. You won't find any blistering leads here. The bass guitar is mostly unnoticeable, but it serves its purpose of holding down the bottom end. Like the guitars, the drums have also improved drastically. There are many tasteful drum fills and accents throughout the album. Although the vocals have improved as well, they are definitely one of the weakest parts of the album. Steve Regan tries to mix things up with several different vocal styles. He employs a new growl which at times is decent enough, but at other times, it just seems muffled and mumbled. He also tries his hand at whispers, spoken parts, and even the occasional black metal rasp. In most instances, the whispers and spoken parts just sound awkward and forced. However, the black metal vocals fit very well with the death metal vocals and add some welcome variety. The lyrics are a major improvement over their past albums, but at times they can still be grating...especially the lyrics to "Born Dead" or in "Bone Crown" when the line "I am hell" is shouted over and over again gang vocal style.

Overall, the songs on II: The Reign of Darkness range from barely tolerable ("Born Dead" and "Bone Crown") to pretty impressive. "In Snakes I Bathe" is one of the stronger songs. It opens the album nicely with some catchy riffs and tempo changes that at times bring Morbid Angel to mind. "Impale the Sun" also impresses with the use of some Morbid Angel style riffs. "Portrait of Souls" utilizes catchy rhythms and a combination of contrasting death metal and black metal vocals. "Impale the Sun" and "Portrait of Souls" are probably the highlights of the album and show what AOAA is capable of producing. Having said that, the songs on II: The Reign of Darkness approach solid, full-on death metal, but they never quite make it completely. If AOAA would have trimmed the weaker parts from the good songs and eliminated the weakest songs altogether, they would have had a really strong EP.

Has AOAA released an undeniably good album that will silence their detractors and maybe even win some of them over as new fans? Unfortunately, no. They are however much closer to doing so than they have ever been. While I applaud them for their improvements on this album, it's just not enough. Maybe their next album will be the one where it all finally comes together for them. With the piles and piles of good, solid death metal out there, it's hard to justify spending your time listening to II: The Reign of Darkness. This album is best suited for the Suicide Silence fan who is looking to get into something more "real." AOAA has the potential and the tools to become a force to be reckoned with, but for now they still serve the purpose of a "gateway band" for people who are just getting into the genre of death metal.

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com

Annotations of an Autopsy are one of those bands that are constantly put down and labeled as a "core" band by "true" metalheads for their heavy, sludgy brand of deathcore that includes many pig squeals and glutteral growls. This style was best described in their "Welcome to Sludge City" and "Before the Throne of Infection" albums. While many, many metalheads (myself included) simply shunned these early releases or put them down, their newest release, "II: The Reign of Darkness" shows much promise for the band.

On this release, AOAA appear to be following in the footsteps of fellow deathcore pioneers, Job for a Cowboy (and from the sound of it, Carnifex) and moving away from the genre that helped put their name on the map in the first place. They focus on a much more straight-ahead death metal sound with zero pig squeals which should delight many. Also, the lyrical content has shifted from a gory, child molesting, cadaver raping sludgy filth to more fine-tuned content that deals with topics such as a dark, almost mystic subject to anti-Christianity (Impale the Sun).

As for the music, almost all factors of the former Annotations is gone. As mentioned before, zero pig squeals grace this album and the breakdowns are less abundant. The music itself is still relatively sludgy, downtuned and thick. This also proves as a major flaw due to fact that many songs lack diversity and you may find yourself checking the title of the song due to forgetting it easily.

So, all in all this is a vast improvement for Annotations, they have matured in both lyrical and music content as well as ditched those annoying squeals that many found annoying and although it is not perfect and at times, forgettable, it breathes new life into this band and hopefully gives them a more broader audience. Hopefully, this change may invite some former haters of the band to give them a second opinion, like I did. I reccoment any casual fan of death metal to check this new release out and even a harcore fan or two may give it a second spin.

It seems that just about all the well known leaders in the Deathcore movement have now officially changed their style up from a very promising Death Metal sound littered with inane breakdowns that do absolutely nothing for the music, to a more Brutal Death atmosphere with a "core" influence that works perfectly with it. Annotations Of An Autopsy have joined the ranks of bands that have gone through this very important change to create II: The Reign Of Darkness, a very heavy and respectable Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore release from a band that was highly dismissed by many as a "scene" band. But, just like all those who came before the Metal Gods with this change, the question is not whether they could pull of the change, but rather if they can make a solid album with this newly found maturity.

II: The Reign Of Darkness is perhaps the band's best offering, as well as the farthest from their Deathcore roots. The album finds the band favoring the Death Metal style moreso with the only indications of any "core" aspects being in the breakdowns. However, much of the time the breakdowns are so well done that it just flows naturally with the music and seems almost as if there aren't any at all in the first place, or, appear at the very end for a short amount of time, like on the track "Born Dead". There are exceptions to this, however, like on the track "Catastrophic Hybridization" which is the most Deathcore track on here, using a very bland breakdown that simply doesn't work well with the music like those utilized on practically every other track on this release. This song will also give you mixed emotions because it has some of the most intense drum work, a very nice guitar solo, but the song itself is as boring as "In Snakes I Bathe".

The album does start off a bit slow, with the introduction track "And So it Begins..." being simply a beating heart that goes into the rather boring "In Snakes I Bathe". The music on here only really starts to pick up once you hit "Bone Crown", with exception to the aforementioned "Catastrophic Hybridization" and the decent instrumental track "VII: The Horror, The Destruction", which paves the way for heavier and faster paced music on this release, instead of a much slower pace with riffs that listeners must have heard over and over again for years. This is also where the album starts to get interesting, at least vocally. "Bone Crown" has some great intensity but it's the fast paced lyrics that really keep the intensity of the song up to match the music, and the slower lines during "Emptiness" that incorporate distorted whispering really add to the impact that the song has. But, sadly, the closer you get to the end of the album, the more the Deathcore influence pops up, and the more generic and bland it becomes. "Portrait of Souls" is a good song, but nothing too great and is rather forgetable after a while, and then you have "Cryogenica" which has more then one breakdown to it, and the first one is rather boring, while the second one is far better thanks to the blistering double bass kicks, but still nothing to go absolutely crazy over.

II: The Reign Of Darkness is not a bad album at all, but it has a few songs that are. Other then the four, possibly five tracks on here that are bland or, in the case of the two "instrumental" tracks "And So it Begins..." and "VII: The Horror, The Destruction", don't contribute anything to the overall appeal of the album other then to eat up time, this release from Annotations Of An Autopsy is a very solid and well constructed effort. The maturing that the band is going throiugh really shows that they are pulling their act together and pushing forward with a more Death Metal sound, but at times cannot help but go back to their roots.

Originally posted on Apoch's Metal Review
www.apochs.net