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Artist......: The Absolution Sequence
Album.......: Dread Cycle
Year........: 2026
Genre.......: Death Metal
Type........: Album
Label.......: Bleeding Art Collective
Language....: English
Source......: WEB/FLAC (16bit)
Quality.....: 1064kbps / 44.1 kHz / Stereo
Tracks......: 9 tracks
Playtime....: 00:42:55
Size........: 326.8 MiB
R.Date......: 2026-08-24
S.Date......: 2026-08-14
Url.........: https://open.qobuz.com/album/ctqdgh24tmwgj
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
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.