Acephalix – Deathless Master (Southern Lord Records)
For a long time, one of the worst sins a hardcore band could commit was that of turning towards more metal-influenced material. It may seem strange, since the two styles have informed each other for decades and lines between the two have become pretty well blurred, but there are definitely some good examples of early hardcore bands that went metal as some sort of cash-grab attempt at a wider audience. It's not hard to see why somebody would scoff at that sort of transition, when its most visible embodiments come in forms like Discharge's Grave New World, SSD's How We Rock, or any Cro-Mags album after Age Of Quarrel. But in more recent times, when the aforementioned decades of stylistic give and take have been a little more firmly entrenched, the idea of a band moving into heavier waters isn't necessarily an indicator that they've hopped on the steep and slippery slope towards mediocrity.
Such is the case with Acephalix. Starting a half-decade ago, the band initially mixed galloping crust punk and the better strands of metallic hardcore with some death metal flourishes, but have gradually allowed the latter component to dominate their sound. This new direction isn't wildly divergent from their older material, just considerably faster, heavier, meaner-sounding, and less catchy. And while they're definitely on a bigger label with a higher profile (and a cleaner-sounding recording), it would be extremely difficult to argue that the band is moving towards any sort of accessibility (except for those listeners who would consider a band like Asphyx or Autopsy accessible – it is a fairly subjective concept, after all). A wider audience, perhaps, but that's almost in spite of themselves. Theirs is a solid take on hardcore-inflected death metal, but with each album the band seems to move towards faster and heavier territory.
It's difficult to tell without a lyric sheet handy how the lyrics have evolved. One thing I liked about earlier efforts like 2010's Aporia was the singer's ability to incorporate his homosexuality in a way that transcended the way sexuality is normally discussed in heavier music – more as an expansive, empowering, transcendent force than as a set of biological urges or a bout of political sloganeering. This may come up on the album, but again, I can't say for sure. The titles seem less indicative of it than on previous releases, but it's unfair to judge them on name alone.
All in all, if one had to make an argument for a band going metal, there are far worse examples than Acephalix (most of them, really). They've been around for a fairly short time, but have released albums steadily, each showing a marked progression. They don't necessarily re-invent any wheels, but they combine sounds deftly enough and write powerful enough songs that a fan of anything from which they draw influence would do well to give Deathless Master a spin.