Comprised of two members of Mitochondrion, Vancouver’s blackened death trio Auroch have also been part of the esteemed Profound Lore stable since 2014’s Taman Shud, a compelling album of old-school values with a chaotic modern bent.
Taking lifeblood from Canadian extreme metal, Auroch worship the wrist-mangling technicality of prime Cryptopsy and Gorguts while also bowing down before the fiery Floridian temple of Trey Azagthoth and, in terms of ambience, many of black metal’s legendary heathens.
Mute Books doesn’t stray too far from their established style but instead hones in on making everything more coherent and savage, sounding denser structurally and tighter performance-wise than anything the band have released to date. Their complexity remains but Auroch never sacrifice polluted atmosphere or blunt-force songwriting sensibility merely to show how adept they are at pulling off inhuman displays of musicianship. It’s a difficult skill to master and many death metal bands fail miserably at it, yet this misanthropic act is supremely proficient in such dark arts.
