Technical death metal perfection. That’s pretty much all that need be said about Kardashev‘s brilliant new release Peripety. From the moment that you lay eyes on the minimalistic album art until the final notes of album closer “Lux” leave you jaw agape, this album takes you on a journey through ethereal beauty and Earth-shaking brutality. The musicianship is astounding and inventive. Even in the moments of calm in the eye of this storm, Kardashev never let you forget that this record is HEAVY in nearly every conceivable sense of the word. Stream below the full album while you’re reading through the review.

Kardashev is a Tempe-based band and Peripety is their first full-length offering. Their 2013 EP Excipio, released on Subliminal Groove Records, was nothing short of a masterful display of technical death metal musicianship. Peripety ups the ante to dizzying heights. Peripety edges other death metal releases from 2015 due to it’s sheer inventiveness. Furthermore, I believe that it has actually accomplished the task of ranking right up there with the best overall metal album of the year.

This is where I usually list the highlights of the record. In this case, the entire record is the highlight. DO NOT miss this album if you are a fan of technical death metal and insanely great musicianship.

Get Peripety from Bandcamp.