Remember 2022? When we still thought maybe the world would chill out? That’s when Inanimate Existence dropped "The Masquerade", a record that proved tech-death could be both a shredding masterclass and an emotional gut-punch.
No, they didn’t reinvent the genre. But they did refine their Necrophagist-meets-Deeds of Flesh chaos into something darker, more conceptually cohesive. Isolation, tribalism, the masks we wear: heavy themes scored by blast beats that sound like a clockwork heart exploding. "Return to the Dream" (that single you forgot about) was just the appetizer.
Why it still slaps in 2025?
Because most tech-death bands prioritize notes over narrative. IE? They weave riffs into a story. Zack Ohren’s mix (of course) is surgical, Mark Erskine’s artwork is eerie, and tracks like "Buried Beneath Scars" hit like a philosophical sledgehammer, if sledgehammers had sweep-picked arpeggios.
Is it flawless? Nah, some transitions feel too clinical, like they’re ticking boxes. But when it locks in (see: "Heart of the Inferno"), it’s transcendent. The kind of album that makes you wonder: Why don’t more bands swing this hard for both brains and brawn?
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | The Artisan Era
If you slept on this in ‘22, fix that. Your playlist deserves better.
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