Out of the apeiron and into ghostly solar orbit the sudden phasing-in of brand new celestial spheres offers both cataclysmic energy and a mysterious omen within the universal simulation depicted by Sudbury, Ontario-based death metal trio FRACTAL GENERATOR on this third full-length album. Illustrating cosmic turbulence by way of brutal, technical and eerily dramatic death metal machinery ‘Convergence‘ is both the next chapter and further delve into the signature sound of this otherwise machine-built band’s wares. The level of punishing precision and early post-millennium death metal bombast is palpable here from the first few notes and unflinching to a fault as their hammer guides the majority of their sojourn herein.

Although Fractal Generator technically formed circa 2008 they weren’t necessarily ready to go beyond that first demo, not until 2013 or so when they’d established the main trio and began work on their first full-length album (‘Apotheosynthesis‘, 2015) a noisome technical death metal release often given the “blackened” tag for the sake of a few keyboard hits and some late 90’s grooves. Though I wouldn’t discount anyone’s enjoyment of that first record it wasn’t the fully formed and tautly realized entity we’d found on ‘Macrocosmos‘ in 2021 where their whole idea became outsized, more overtly expressive of its themes and less congested by the “brutal” clip of their tempo. I’d reviewed it favorably at the time and provided extensive enough thoughts in said review which I won’t restate here beyond noting some clear inspiration taken from Hate Eternal and Rutan-era Morbid Angel and a focus on riffcraft which had its own textural play at hand even when machining through its grooves. They were at their best on songs like “Chaosphere” where use of sci-fi sound effects, keyboards and a wrathful pace made for a horrified and intense tech-but-not-tech death experience a la earlier Fleshgod Apocalypse. My mind wasn’t smashed to pieces by it but you could tell they’d put plenty of work into that record and there was some potential for greatness in their efforts, this’d been the main reason I’d been keen to take a closer look at this follow up.

Most of what Fractal Generator manage in terms of crafting death metal rhythms relies on cold-beaten drum patternation for its spine and as such there is a motorized hum to everything they do, the main tool they’ve deployed in order to counteract the soulless drive of these songs is once again amplified use of keyboards and various dramatic accoutrement in order to compound their general theme. ‘Convergence‘ doesn’t necessarily change the palette provided by ‘Macrocosmos‘ in this regard nor have they messed with the general ~4-5 minute brutal-technical death metal type song structures that’ve defined each of their releases thus far. Heavier use of synth/keyboards for effect on songs like “Ancient Civilizations” and operatic interjections on “Ciphertext” take us from that general Azarath or Myrkskog level of bleak, “blackened” brutality closer to a sound which reminds me of the dramatism found in the more performative side of late 2000’s Italian and French black/death metal. Those are examples of some of the more severe points of exaggeration but they’ll ultimately be what most folks remember best about this album.

Opener “Cryogenian” is probably one of the more thrillingly set pieces on the album thanks to its initial focus on scrambling tech-riffs, wailing choirs, and the plunge it takes into the action to start. Their most compelling rhythms tend to develop from a point of calculated brutality and in that sense ‘Convergence‘ introduces itself with a best foot forward, developing a notable racing groove beyond ~2:10 minutes in, and steps away after they’ve developed a substantial enough statement. While we will find their use of tempo a bit too consistent and song structures fairly uniform those strictures enable (mostly) complete statements to form within each song and within the whirr of their machine I’d rarely been left wanting for elaboration on any incomplete statements or ideas. Early in the review process I’d found the title track and “Askesis” presented a hammered-at blur, simpler grooves assault the senses without any wild turns taken and this’d allowed some space to appreciate the riffcraft and how the guitarist’s general authorship of rhythms involves frantic textural shifts rather than playing with tempo moment to moment. I wouldn’t mistake the bluntly rippled grooves of “Askesis” for the escalating ride of “Convergence” but there is no major reason I might recall and return to either one outside of their part in the full listen. A song like “Ancient Civilizations” might stand out a bit more in the grand scheme of things but not for the sake of interrupting its own thread, but rather the span of the album as it swerves a bit harder than the pieces which surround it.

As suggested “Ciphertext” is probably the point where Fractal Generator take the biggest chance, throw some slower grooves into the mix and include some haunting operatic wailing throughout the song. The first time I hit this song it was something like, hearing Hate cover an old PlayStation 2-era Castlevania song, and it felt more like gothic horror than sci-fi, but it serves a memorable moment nonetheless. I appreciated this kind of song and how they’d begun to work in some new ideas over on Side B as I ripped through this ~40 minute album numerous times. As the tunnel vision set in and the steady-going roll n’ burst pace of it all began to desensitize over time getting a least a bit weird with some of those chugged-at grooves and eerie chorales (“Algorithmic Pathways”) helped to keep it burning along.

All things considered I don’t think ‘Convergence‘ ever felt like it’d outdone, overshot, or raised any particular ambition beyond what these folks’d achieved on ‘Macrocosmos‘. On one hand we’ve got a consistent follow-up which reinforces and expands the signature elements of the trio’s sound, on the other hand it is an altogether similar experience unless you’re willing to needle at a few details and appreciate the extra accoutrement and atmosphere available to this record. The die-hard brutal and technical death metal fandom are likely best suited for Fractal Generator‘s machine gunned-out density and dramatic (but still contained) treatment of sci-fi themes if only for the sake of how persistent its pacing is. Since I’d appreciated the previous album this once again makes for a compelling enough spin, a weirding but not quite weird enough listening experience per my own taste though it frankly won’t likely be a record I return to often for the sake of it hitting very specific level of pummel and pomp for its duration. If your brain is considerably less calloused by this sort of thing the developing signature of the band may very well present a unique enough path, it is a thrillingly brutal ride-through either way. A moderately high recommendation.

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