This 10-song, 30-minute onslaught is the debut offering from Windsor, ON, Canada five-piece The Apex. Formed in 2013, the group includes former members of several bands I've never heard of—Closed Casket Funeral, Dismata, Blood Shot Eye, The Coalition Design, and Corprophemia—and while I don't listen to a ton of chaotic, technical metal these days, I must say that this shit is pretty incredible. It's somewhat reminiscent of the early-2000's Willowtip roster (bands like Harakiri, Commit Suicide, etc.), but with tighter production and songwriting that somehow manages to maintain just enough focus to amp up the power and lock into a groove.
Make no mistake, though: the songwriting is more often than not a near-dizzying array of riffs sliced 'n' diced together with fast-paced shifts and frantic energy. Expect a relentless flurry of chunky staccato grooves bursting into gnashing, dissonant chord phrasings and note-based tech runs, sporadically stripping down to power chords that almost flirt with an underlying sense of traditional hardcore. So, there is some semblance of "metalcore" present—in that violent, stabbing manner that The Dillinger Escape Plan originally brought to prominence. Imagine, perhaps, Calculating Infinity fused with Candiria's Surrealistic Madness. How they pull this off without it coming across as a completely jarring mess is beyond me, but hats off to 'em.
There's definitely some variety within the tracks, but as a whole it feels very consistent. I can't say that any songs particularly jump out as significantly more interesting or emphatic than others, but compositions like "Means to an End" and "You're Not Dead Yet?" that slip vague hints of melody into the mix do tend to perk up. And then there's the totally unexpected jazzy break towards the end of "The Girl Death Left Behind"—complete with lush clean guitars, bass tapping, and some flashy cymbal work. The main exception is album-closer, "Contention: Chapter 1," which best integrates sinister melody into the band's hectic approach, going so far as to toss in some pretty damn gorgeous little solo runs.
I couldn't really tell you what's going on lyrically, but the recording sounds damn fine to me. The bass can get lost (it's there, but more or less adds density behind the guitars), but otherwise the mix is perfect. Everything holds weight and nothing leans too far out front or gets distracting, and the percussion sounds infinitely stronger than the vast majority of what you'll encounter from this niche.
I wouldn't say The Apex is breaking new ground, but I have to give them major props for nailing this style better than anything I can recall having heard in quite a long time. If you're the kind of person that really follows this "crazy go nuts" type of death metal(core), The Apex should be your new favorite band. It reallys is that good. Had you described their music to me before I heard it, I probably would've stubbornly passed, and that would've been a huge mistake. A mere $8 for the disc ($5 digitally), get movin' and add this beast to your collection, like... now.
