In tunneling their way through the tragically dissected corpse of the possessed and scouring its ends for rot and waste Tokyo, Japan-based death metal quartet HETEROPSY steadily prepare the listener for burial beneath this impressive debut full-length album. A work far more fastidious and profound than their years ‘Embalming‘ offers well-rounded expression of ‘old school’ death metal avenues both melodic and doomed but not without its own dramatic, horrified flair applied. Though their interest in Swedish death metal guitar overtakes the greater impression initially these folks do well to keep the sands of their ouevre shifting between auld pillars and their own variously menacing and melodic voice.

Heteropsy formed as a duo circa 2020 between folks known for their work in death metal band Frostvore and stoner/doom act 沈む鉛 and they appear to have arrived without any certain style in mind beyond HM-2 buzzing amplifier worship and dark, drone/doom inspired nox. That is what their first EP (‘Inner Sanctum‘, 2020) would yield, prefacing a Corrupted-esque evolution of their collaboration over the course of ~yearly EP releases since. The leap made from bedroom-level harsh noise gaped sludge-death on ‘Asphyxia‘ (2021) to buzzing yet cavernous Swedish melodic death metal on ‘Self-Tragedy/Circle of Hallucination‘ (2023) was somewhat of a shock when familiarizing myself with their discography but I was stoked to find the demo-era Intestine Baalism-like grind of their work and that this approach has continued as a quartet.

‘Embalming‘ does technically aim for a classic Swedish death metal sound within its ~44 minute run, using the extreme value of a fully cranked Boss HM-2 pedal as the anchor for their presentation, yet I’d emphasize that they present a broader-spread stance than one might expect. Opener “Pandemonium Altar” is essentially the melodic death metal breakout Heteropsy‘d promised via “Self Tragedy” back in 2023, an “epic” but resolutely pre-’94 brand of it which lands a la ‘The Energumenus‘, Afflicted (Sweden) or even early In Flames up front but by the time they’ve revisited that core idea on “Memento Mori” mid-album those references do not fit so squarely. In general you could suggest God Macabre and Anatomia as spiritual advisors on the larger walk through the surrounding pieces, especially “The Sodomizer”, and by then you’ll have gotten the suggestion that their interest in sonic extremes, experimentation and the emotionally rich directive of early-days Stockholm-built semi-melodic death metal offer the core of their experience.

Captivating dramatic flair is not at all the way I’d expected to describe Heteropsy at a glance, instead figuring the avant-garde or grinding edge of early 90’s Autopsy likely being their hinge but instead there is a soul-searching seriousness to these songs which nearly speaks to post-metal at its most cinematic (re: “Memento Mori”, end of “Methadone”). When the melodic death mood strikes this ends up being the most effective set of movements these folks manage and despite the high chance for saccharine cringe there is no cloying strike applied beyond the opening salvo of closer “Old Friends”… and that moment just as quickly becomes a ~10 minute tanklike siege with its own hills and valleys beyond. The suggestion is that ‘Embalming‘ goes places, drains its body of a variety of ooze before cinching its arc.

It is an imposing, not-so subtly stylized record overall and I say this as a vocal critic of the specific guitar tone being deployed. Throughout ‘Embalming‘ Heteropsy find new things to do with the nuclear-level wrack of the HM-2 while also providing reprieve by way of sombre instrumental breaks and drawn-out builds per every engagement. As I’d suggested earlier they’ve a flair for dramatic phrasing and the ‘epic’ melodic fixation of their work might’ve overtaken the listening experience were there not huge, riff-driven death metal songs happening at all points in between. The death-doomed introduction and outro to “Asphyxia” emphasizes this strength of placement though I’m not sure if the barrage of riffs they roll through at the midpoint of the song are as hot on the trigger as they could’ve been. Otherwise the more riff-forward chunking of “The Sodomizer” and “Seventh Damnation” each find a standout groove and a general direction to go with it. In every case the songs described either manage to land upon a satisfying conclusion or at least reach a point that transitions neatly into the next song.

For a debut full-length album from a band who’ve only been in action for about half a decade ‘Embalming‘ is impressive in its dynamically set thread and general structuring which remains ambitious but not overbearingly gilded throughout its serpentine weave from piece to piece, moment to moment. Beyond sounding like they are old pros Heteropsy do a fine enough job of defining themselves on this debut and that sense of conviction is a big part of their appeal yet I find the thought that they’ve pivoted away from sonic experimentation begins to ping in mind when searching for a conclusion. Choosing to emphasize connective austerity over obscurant weirding won’t count against their work from my point of view though I did find it worthy to appreciate the walk from droning and wailing gloom to this fully functional scourge in such a short period of time. A high recommendation.

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