Hey there tech-death fiends! After diving into Virvum – Illuminance last week, we're switching gears back to something more abstract today with a full early stream from Axioma. Before we get to that, here's the usual weekly reminder that all prior editions of this series can be perused here.

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Based in Rome, Italy Axioma have existed since 2012, and from the brief information I looked up, I believe Monolith is their first release. The band play a particularly difficult to describe kind of technical death metal. The base of it is all about swirling atmosphere and haunting dissonance, not unlike fellow country mates Nero Di Marte. Undercurrents of Cynic's light prog touch mix with elements from Ulcerate and Gorguts styles to form the remainder of the bands sound. Obviously Monolith is not standard technical death metal, it hits you more from a deconstructed perspective. But there's still plenty of complex rhythms throughout the release that will please fans of the genre.

Whether or not you'll dig this will likely hinge on your ability to appreciate the bands careful approach to slow masterful build ups bit-by-bit that Axioma's music thrives on. You won't find many blastbeats or purely full-throttle fast songs here, nor conventional shredding in a "normal" tech-death sense either. Instead you're offered a chance to behold a living organism that creeps slowly from the shadows, built from our fears and peering all around awkwardly.

Monolith is another notable release this year by a group hellbent on creating technical progressive death metal formed outside of the genre's normal box and style. Axioma- Monolith comes out this Saturday, September 24th, and should be available soon through Bandcamp. Be sure to follow the band over on their Axioma Facebook Page as well!