Metal Underground.com

It’s been three long years since Viscera/// dropped its devastatingly heavy, but still wildly experimental, debut full-length album “Cyclops” (reviewed here). In that time the band has gone through an amazing amount of progression, refining the atmosphere of the first album and tempering it into something less directly brutal, but still just as interesting to listen to. “2: As Zeitgeist Becomes Profusion of the I” is an evolutionary step forward for the band, and a fitting successor to the groups’ earlier material.

Whereas “Cyclops” was a wave of violent sound that crashed against the audience as often, and with as much force, as possible, the new album is distinctly more restrained. The sound is incredibly crisp and clear in comparison to the heavy fuzz heard before. Each instrument has a significant role to play, including the booming bass lines, and none of it gets lost in the wall of sound. None of that should give the impression that the latest Viscera/// offering isn’t an all around heavy album, however.

The album draws its influences from all across the board, and the sounds are meshed together exceedingly well. It’s not death metal or black metal or grindcore, but there’s no question those genres are a massive part of the song structures. It’s not hardcore or metalcore or rock, but those styles also have a big impact on how the album was crafted. Colossal song lengths and repeating guitar segments gives the disc a bit of a stoner doom or sludge feel, but all the sounds are generally more melodic and experimental than those styles would allow for.

Long portions of the album pass by without any vocal work at all, but none of the songs really qualify for the “ambient” sub-genre, as there’s too much going on in each track. What vocals are present are split between clean singing, which takes a much bigger focus than on “Cylcops,” and a dirty rasping scream. The spacey themes heard from the band before are still present, and the deliberate and methodical approach to each song also remains. What’s refreshing about the disc is that the songs aren’t ever tedious, even when they are hitting the 14 minute mark.

“2: As Zeitgeist Becomes Profusion of the I” takes long journeys of sound, meandering between black metal motifs and experimental rock outings and several other styles. Viscera/// has gone for a much less actively abrasive approach this time around, however. Those looking for their acid trips to be disturbingly heavy may be disappointed, but honestly it’s just another way to reach the same goal. Experimental metal fans should make a point of checking out this release, so long as they don’t mind a less brutal album overall.