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Track Listing: Appellation Grief Urchin Obviated Geocentrism Obsolescent Husk Bloodgutter Encircling Officious Hoverer At L-Point 2 Nilpulse Expendable Biomass

"Anno Universum" is the debut album from Oregon based tech/blackened death band ARKHUM. The album kicks off with the track "Appellation", which begins with an odd sci-fi sound clip that transitions into a horrifyingly heavy song. Rich with brutal riffs and dual vocals both snarling and guttural, and insane drumming, ARKHUM manage to bring something new and fresh to the metal world. The song itself is surprisingly slow, and equally short, and it seems to end a little prematurely. Nevertheless, it's an incredibly interesting track.

The next track, "Grief Urchin", can only be described as a disfigured lovechild made by Carcass and Mayhem, with a Cannibal Corpse uncle. It opens like a typical grindcore track, but plays like a black metal track, with heavy tremolo picking. It then moves into traditional death metal territory, and is honestly all over the place in the best way possible. The guitars are fast and heavy, the drums are absolutely fantastic, and the vocals are top-notch. The song takes another turn at the 1:43 mark, with a light acoustic melody followed by more insane brutality reminiscent of Behemoth's "At the Left Hand ov God." This is a track that manages to defy all genres.

The rest of the album follows in the same fashion, with tracks that reject any kind of categorization. Tracks like "Nilpulse" and "Bloodgutter Encircling" make this album sound like nothing in this known universe, while tracks like "Expendable Biomass" and "Obsolescent Husk" pay homage to the brutal death metal bands that inspired them.

To put it bluntly, "Anno Universum" kicks some serious ass. With just a single album under their belts, ARKHUM have already managed to defy genres and re-invent them. This album is definitely worth going to the record store and purchasing. Hell, support these amazing artists and purchase 3. I give this album a 10/10 rating and two horns WAY up.