Metal Underground.com

Getting into the band with previous shotgun blast to the face “Symbiosis” (or “full-length album” if you prefer that terminology instead), Abiotic made my list of best metal newcomers in 2012. Now its finally time to see if the band lived up to its potential and released something on par or even improved from that debut with the release of “Casuistry.”

First and foremost, even more bludgeoning brutality is what to expect with the disc. It's still relentlessly crushing, no doubt about it, although the tone has changed from “Symbiosis.” The production is a bit cleaner, and the atmosphere has shifted slightly with more of a mix of technicality with melody, although there's not much lost on the sonic devastation front. The vocals have also changed, with two different styles switching off between sharp / high pitched and low / guttural, with the deeper grunts pretty part and parcel to this brutal style of death metal

All the tracks showcase a high degree of technical prowess and maintain an incredibly brutal edge, but with plenty of melodic twists and turns throughout to keep it interesting. The sudden change in speed and proggy noodling on “Reanimated Destruction” is a great example, along with the atmospheric, ethereal ending to “Nightmares Of Your Conception” or the cyclical guitar sounds on “Violent Scriptures.”

There's a bit of a deathcore edge to the base of technical death metal, especially with the breakdowns accompanied by the higher pitched vocals. Halfway between Beyond Creation and Job For A Cowboy, “Casuistry” really straddles the line and maintains legitimacy. With the technicality and strong bass presence, it remains a solid option even for elitists who hate deathcore on principle. Fans of the last album will certainly dig this one, and anyone who digs both brutality and a showy brand of technical metal will be right at home with this release.