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artist: The Absolution Sequence
title: Dread Cycle
year: 2026
genre: Death Metal
type: Album
label: Bleeding Art Collective
language: English
rel. date: 2026-08-14
source: WEB/MP3
quality: CBR 320kbps / 44.1 kHz / Joint Stereo
runtime: 00:42:55
size: 98.4 MiB / 9 tracks
rip date: 2026-08-24
source url: https://open.qobuz.com/album/ctqdgh24tmwgj
tracklist:
01. Despotic Ruin (Diet of Worms) 4:10
02. Idols of Confraternity 5:01
03. Ghost Mantra 3:44
04. This Sordid Miasma 5:01
05. The Nightlight Sigil 5:13
06. Promethean Pilferage 4:17
07. A Mire-Caked Nativity 5:02
08. Grinding the Sphere 4:29
09. Diary of the Emaciated 5:56
release notes:
Tasmania-outside of their famous adorable screaming murder marsupials, I
know basically nothing about the island. Recently, though, Tasmania's The
Absolution Sequence seized and held my attention with everything
surrounding their debut record, Dread Cycle.1 Sublime cover art by
Tasmanian artist Shaun Hyatt. Technical death metal that, according to
promo, "balances high-velocity musical prowess with a deeply immersive,
atmospheric undertone." But what's this? Three guitarists? Two
drummers?!2 Is there any hope of hearing a bass guitar on this thing? How
big is Dread Cycle really, and are The Absolution Sequence bad enough
dudes to hold it all down? I had to know.
To address The Absolution Sequence's qualifying trait as a tech-death
band, I'll start by stating that Dread Cycle is quite the technical feat.
TAS' three-pronged guitar attack of Stephen Cusato and Steven Mason on
rhythm and Luke Tucker on lead deliver all the pressure-cooked heck you'd
expect of the sub-genre, spinning busy, knotted riffs that strike and pop
at odd times and angles. Hear the gnarly riffage on "This Sordid Miasma"
and "Promethean Pilferage" and just soak it in. Rhythmically, drummers
Nick Machin and Luke Sanderson deliver mechanically precise blasts and
occasional Meshuggah kick-jank ("Ghost Mantra") while-yes-Alastair Boon's
bass features prominently in arpeggiated leads ["Despotic Ruin (Diet of
Worms)"] and popping and plucking beneath the riffs ("Diary of the
Emaciated"). These dudes have chops for days, but somehow Dread Cycle is
surprisingly reserved. Don't expect Archspire-scaled showy excess with
The Absolution Sequence, as Dread Cycle is the kind of layered technical
showcase that's more than happy to sneak up on you at times.
What sticks out foremost about Dread Cycle is how atmospheric and big it
sounds. The Absolution Sequence regularly build these tidal waves of
dissonant, discordant chords that make for eerie, cataclysmic
atmospheres. Tracks like "The Nightlight Sigil" and "A Mire Caked
Nativity," even amidst it's deeply frenetic playing, absolutely ooze
dense, dreary mood. These movements of cavernous density stand in nice
contrast to the typical tech-death chops heard elsewhere, offering cuts
like "Despotic Ruin (Diet of Worms)" greater dynamism and balancing out
"Idols of Confraternity"'s wicked fast runs and bludgeoning chugs with
simpler, harmonically rich parts. It keeps the audience from growing
desensitized to the chaos, as is oft to happen in tech-death. The
Absolution Sequence simply sound more focused than a lot of their peers,
and with that focus comes weight. Dread Cycle doesn't blow your mind
through exceptional virtuosity but clobbers you with the enormity of its
compositions.
But never does The Absolution Sequence's technical ambitions or
atmospheric inclinations ever detract from Dread Cycle's serious bite.
Delivering a varied and hostile vox attack, lead vocalist Shawn Wells
drives TAS onto a warpath. Through confrontational and nasty growls on
"Grinding the Sphere," pissed-off Archspire speed spitting on "Diary of
the Emaciated," and downright (Tasmanian) devilish rasps on "Idols of
Confraternity," Wells spells out Dread Cycle's ill-will in explicit
terms. The rest of TAS match that vitriol. Their three guitarists are a
restless unit, constantly finding new ways to layer airy leads over
feverish riff-craft while the drumming on Dread Cycle never sacrifices
punch for flair. This is tech-death of a distinctly modern bent, for
sure, but there's a timeless, plain deathly meanness to Dread Cycle that
makes it cathartically heavy as well as dazzingly impressive to behold.
Dread Cycle is a true cyclone of aggression, but far more cogent and less
slobbery than the one Tasmania is better known for. The Absolution
Sequence found a distinct and deeply enjoyable brand of tech-death that
stands out even in a crowded year for the sub-genre. It's the kind of
record that's just hard to find negative things to say about, and one
that has steadily grown on me over the time I've spent with it. Check out
Dread Cycle if you like your shadowed treks through miasmatic realms of
death thoroughly buckwild as well.