There's no denying that Mr. Nate Poulson is breathing a particularly new and vibrant soul into the WYKKED WYTCH sound. Thus, the approach of this record is massively modernized. I do appreciate this take on the entity of the band, although I must admit that not all of these tracks have the ultimate power to grab one by the balls the entire way through. Granted, the presentation is meticulously arranged, sometimes impressively eclectic, but it also occasionally stumbles into the robotic, go-through-the-motions pitfall. That isn't to say that skill isn't present; it's all over the tableau in a dizzying amount. Nevertheless, some passages of this record are more substantial than others, regardless of the fact that very potent and hardworking musicians gave this an admirably mathematical shot. My personal theory goes along the lines of Less is More. In the case of ''The Ultimate Deception'', this statement holds much water when the overbearing attempt to be badass takes center stage to the point of making the song patterns predictable, instead of brilliantly, originally cohesive. When the focus is actually put on capturing a raw emotional mindframe, daring to push outside the box and break out of that br00tal comfort zone with actual nuances, genuinely punchy syncopations, and heartfelt melodies, I'm thoroughly amazed at the breath of fresh air. Within that particular terrain, this band is evolving beautifully. Their knack for buildups can reach epic, shiver-inducing heights. Their progressive tendancies are a nice surprise in between slabs of well-executed, but very Deja Vu death metal. 

''Birthing the Beast'' is, by a very long shot, one of the most solid pillars on this release. It does nail this Forward-Thinking Progression aspect right out the gate. The classical influences of Nate's flourish beautifully throughout the song, and just the right dose of aggression is injected within. The patterns shift between this darkly poignant chorus, and death-thrashy verses. Kevin Talley's drumming is obviously still as impressive as it's always been, showcasing true originality in its various shades of experimentation. The title-track is more straight-forward in its ultimately brutal approach, although I can't say it left a mark on this brain quite as much as its predecessor. ''Serpents Among Us'' has more of a clearly daring structure, and knows to take one by surprise, and I gotta point out that this track's solo is by far my very favourite on this disc, taking all the time it needs to explore the soaring facets of raw, intensely vibrant emotion each and every note bleeds out. Until ''When the Sleepers Rise'' barged in, I was headbanging rather frenetically, but couldn't tell you of one particular element that genuinely threw me off guard. ''When the Sleepers Rise'', on the other hand, is seriously fucking intoxicating in the sense that it's probably the most technical track I've ever heard on a WYKKED WYTCH release, and in spite of its very theorical nature, it *does* capture a vibe that clearly illustrates the lyrical concept of the song, and definitely remains etched upon one's memory for succeeding at this task that often gets stomped on by this desire to overshred in far too many rehearsal rooms across blue earth.

I hate to have to point out that this cover of METALLICA's ''Fade to Black'' simply doesn't belong here. I do have respect for Ipek's approach to cleans, but wouldn't qualify her singing as having enough gripping character to do full justice to this song in particular. She can scream her ass off, but her cleans need some improvement. I was positively astounded by the interesting blend of peaks and valleys (in the instrumentation department), but half of the soul of the original track gets sucked out by the technicality factor we have here. It's supposed to be a heavy, gut-wrenching, punchy song. Granted, this is brutal as fuck. It's also very robotic, which takes away from the tableau greatly. I'll take the oldschool METALLICA version any day of the week over this. ''Abolish the Weak'' is genuinely refreshing, but the ever-so-slightly lukewarm and surprisingly unoriginal ''Eyes of a Vulture'' closes the record on a fetid note.

In hindsight, this disc is the way an authentic approach to what death metal should be; not picture-perfect, but gutsy enough to take its chances. I have tremendous amounts of respect for the way this band constantly seems to explore new avenues, blending this new experience in with the initial root of their sound. I'm incredibly apeshit about the qualities at hand, and understandably taken aback by the flaws; nevertheless, I consider this to be great work, and am excited to see the new twists and turns this unstoppable entity will ace next.

RATING: 7.5/10

-Noch