It may be a humble Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean Canadian death metal quintet Apogean aren’t ready to give you full on brain scrambles at a moment’s notice. We’re talking a real case of the screaming purple Charlies, the flip-your-hemispheres kind of noggin proddin’ that will kick start your adrenaline and melt the flesh behind your face until you drool viscera and forget how to use the microwave. This is far from caveman-riff death metal, but its frantic technicality, nods to prog and deathcore, and overall intensity will transform the listener into a primordial flesh cocoon on their new video, “Hueman (The Pleasure of Burn)”. Watch it below!
Don’t let the synth strings, gentle guitar, and brushed drums at the beginning fool you. Once this track takes off, a barrage of furious drums, dual vocals, and guitar sweeps hit like a rampaging moose careening down a spiral staircase. The video begins with some incredible aerial shots before we find ourselves in an old cathedral in the company of mysterious cloaked cultists. Flashes of performance by the cultists/band hastily skip between arcane sigils and venerable stonework while they drag a shirtless, unmasked man to some good, ol’ fashioned eye gouging. Lucio Fulci would be proud. The prog/tech/death chaos drives the madness home, precise and polished, yet malicious.
Apogean have one EP under their belt, Into Madness, and are gearing up to release their debut album, Cyberstrictive (The Artisan Era), featuring new vocalist Mac Smith (Decrepit Birth) on March 8, 2024. ‘Across 10 songs, Cyberstrictive discloses the dark aspects of technology, taking a broader look at its impact on our minds, bodies, and souls,’ the press kit reads, citing Ray Bradbury and George Orwell as influences as they explore the darker sides of technology (manipulation, misinformation, sensory trauma, etc). This will surely be a stellar debut.
Pre-order the album here. You can also follow Apogean on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.
