Sensory Stagnation

I hadn't heard Chilean death thrashers Ripper before, but they've been around since 2007 and put out two full-lengths. Sensory Stagnation, an EP, provides 20 minutes of surprisingly catchy riffs, with the title track being the most interesting of the bunch but the others following it closely. The tight, chugging distortion gets listener attention right away. That, and the wandering, 70s-prog bassline; this isn't a band afraid of letting its bass get all the space it needs in the mix. From spreading out from each other in solos or independent riffs of their own, as soon as the songs speed up every member of the band comes together in fierce concentration, a battering ram that threatens to smash everything in its way. The thrash riffs are abbreviated by the off-kilter, progressive rhythms passed out by Nicolas Villanueva's fine drum work, seeming to be bit off short just before they spiral out of control. Like a Sacrilege and Terror Streets step back a bit from the progginess and focus on the meat and potatoes of the band's sound, the first being more death-focused and the latter being quite firmly in the old-school thrash camp. Both are very good, though I consider their predecessors to be better. Regardless of which part one likes better, though, this album is definitely worth listening too. Bandcamp: https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/album/sensory-stagnation.