antiMusic.com: Mephistopheles - Sounds of the End Review

Mephistopheles - Sounds of the End
by Matt Hensch

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Australia's Mephistopheles is somewhat of a solution to many of technical death metal's conundrums. Perhaps it's just me, but most technical death metal groups are pointlessly annoying and complex. Monkeys can be taught to sweep pick and shred under the proper conditions (I've done the research, don't ask how, why, or my local zoo), and many of its groups sacrifice proper songwriting for a mathematical network of boring entanglements. "Sounds of the End," Mephistopheles' second album, is a swell alternative to the Brain Drills of today. Lavishly elaborate yet sinisterly harsh and boasting just a hint of jazz, the album is able to capture the abstract nature of technical death metal without losing hooks or memorable songwriting in the process. Their compositions are also a bit unique and unexpected as well, which I can't complain about at all.

Mephistopheles is simply an appealing faction despite not being the most original band on the face of the planet. Sure, the sub-genre's basics are all covered�weird time signatures, complex structuring, and abstract riffing patterns among other abnormalities�yet performed with more precision and accuracy than the herd mentality of technical death metal. Most of the record's anthems actually leave a lasting impression on the listener, mainly due to the comprehensive structures all boasting guitar work and textures that are memorable and hooking. The riffs are oddly enticing, strange weavings of cacophony mixed with the violent chords of death metal. In general "Sounds of the End" appears very atmospheric and ethereal, like four operators running a very sophisticated machine.

Mephistopheles' style is likewise flamboyant and abstruse. They never seem to run out of guitar parts that scratch the stranger side of the spectrum but at the same time bring an ample amount of color to a routine that would otherwise be typical. The vocals are the only truly insignificant cog of the beast, which come off as basic growls and shrieks. Then again, the rudimentary yelps are mostly forsaken by the calculated madness happening underneath, and that's where the album prevails. Mephistopheles has, in the end, countered the norm with a brand of technical death metal that paves its own path rather than following the monumentally boring perplexities of the group's cohorts. A nice surprise.

Mephistopheles - Sounds of the End
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