Country: Canada
Genre: Progressive Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Release: 10 July 2026
For fans of: Gojira, Black Crown Initiate, Rivers of Nihil, Alluvial
Review | Metal Territory
Apogean return with Waste Where Life Begins, a record that stands on tech‑death but doesn’t stay there. The band states it has moved beyond the narrow limits of the genre — and indeed, the album sounds more like a blend of blackened death, prog, atmosphere and modern groove than classic technical death metal.
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The album opens with “Daughter of the Oak”, a track that immediately shows the style: chuggy Gojira‑style riffs, blackened tremolos, powerful growls, and an atmosphere built with ambient elements and violin by Laura Bates. This combination dominates the whole album: heavy chugs, black tonality, atmospheric passages and a production that gives volume and depth.
“White Trees, Black Leaves” stands out with a black ’n’ roll riff that sticks immediately, while “Nassaru” is the strongest track on the record: prog structure, dense riffs, violin that enters exactly where it should, and spoken passages by Joshua Ward — a moving moment, as his involvement was added after his death. “Black Smoke, Bleeding Earth” closes the record with melodies that recall Mors Principium Est, clean guitars and violin that give a beautiful, dark climax.
There are weak points, however: “Ritual” works as an ambient interlude but doesn’t connect with the surrounding tracks, while at several points the album becomes a little “formulaic” — chugs, blackened passages, atmosphere, repeat. Even so, the length is short, the compositions are tight and the band avoids tiring the listener.
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Waste Where Life Begins is an album that shows a band with potential: it isn’t the most original tech‑death/prog death of the year, but it has strong moments, solid production and enough personality to stay on listeners’ radar.
Line‑up: Mac Smith – Vocals Dexter Forbes – Guitars Jack Post – Guitars Doug Noel – Drums Robert Tam – Bass
Guests: Laura Bates – Violin & Choir Joshua Ward – Spoken passages (posthumous)
Tracklist
- Daughter of the Oak — 03:41
- Waste Where Life Begins — 04:46
- Lie in Cinder — 04:37
- White Trees, Black Leaves — 03:34
- Nassaru — 04:22
- Hologram (Singing Silently on an Empty Stage) — 03:46
- Ritual — 01:56
- Black Smoke, Bleeding Earth — 06:05
We support the bands, which is why we recommend Bandcamp for listening to their music; that way you have the option to buy the CD you’re hearing. Our opinion carries no weight, we write just to write; press play on the tape deck and judge for yourself. Stay Metal and open your mind!
