Review by Alex on August 24, 2019.

Coffin Rot have been around since 2017 and since their formation they have been actively putting out music in preparation for their debut which we now have in the form a A Monument to the Dead. This is fairly decent metal that most listeners by now would be accustomed to. Nothing out of the box or over the top, just well dug-up remnants of past-time pleasures; Exhumed, Possessed, Incantation and Obituary are among the first set of influences that rushed to me when listening to these songs that range from 2 to 7 minutes. Even though we've heard this kind of work before many times over, Coffin Rot makes it all appear so fresh; and to be honest, it never really hurts to revisit the past, unless the band leading the way is just not good. Glad to tell you that’s far from the reality where Coffin Rot's music is concerned. They play homage to some of the best that have held the shovel and they do so exceptionally well on A Monument to the Dead. 

Straight out the dirt and coated with the odor of the funereal, A Monument to the Dead delivers accurate and hefty punches to the gut; with guitar hooks and leads sounding like they crawled from 1994’s death metal grave; vocals that gobble up all the air there is in the tomb plus riffing and drumming torn from the ‘how to death metal the respectful way’ book awaits. You get ‘Compremesis’, ‘Saw Blade Suicide’, Miasma of Barbarity’ and ‘Forced Self-Consumption’ among other libations to quench your thirst, and they do just about that. The music on here is old school ear-pillaging; song compartments are gathered in a way that each diverse element representing any period of the genre from 1990 - 1994 is made adhesive to the overall body of work. 

The doomy incisions leading to those Incantation-esque, mid-ranges and tempos that veer-off into thrashing and grinding death metal terror reminiscent of Exhumed on their early and even later works, makes for a fine 32-minute outing. The guitar solos are worth mentioning also; some of its best moments are birthed on tracks like the aforementioned ‘Miasma of Barbarity’ and towards later installments, such being ‘Incubation of Madness’ and the 7-minute-long ‘Coffin Rot’. The drumming on A Monument to the Dead is also among the highlights; the sudden changes in pattern are top-notch and are sporty for a debut full length. The vocals do justice to the music and the era represented, they’re fairly deep and are accompanied by some level of clarity. 

I think apart from an all-round stellar performance, what really stands out is the production, every instrumental note and vocal bellow can be heard with clarity, however there's no reason to be opposed to this because the music retains the quality and quiddity of the era and ages gone. I enjoyed all the songs on A Monument to the Dead, but my favorite is definitely ‘Coffin Rot’ which leads me to say, I prefer the more doomy and mid paced moments on the record that are elaborated on ‘Coffin Rot’; therefore, I believe in going forward with new material I think they should adopt the musicianship on the final track as their staple sound and approach. They’re much better in that territory and can really stand out if they choose to take on that formula. A Monument to the Dead is a good album but the potential to break away from the norm is certainly there. 

Rating: 7.2 out of 10 

Review by Ryan on July 25, 2015.

Timing is damn near everything. You don’t want to show up too early at the party, that’s just rude. But being late carries a lot of risks. You can call yourself “fashionably late,” though you might just as easily transcend a barrier of crass and obtrusive tardiness. You don’t know the offense until you see those pained expressions; it’s like smelling your own farts in a crowded elevator. The doors have closed. It is too late. Upon hearing about the new technical death metal project Alkaloid, I worried about such a state of affairs.

Arriving “too late” for a party is signified by the crumbs and drops that used to be food and booze. People have already settled into groups for conversation and flirting, and the duel of the music playlists is over and done with. Alkaloid is very late to the tech death party, coming more than a decade after the genre’s revival. It’s still -in the words of Curtis Mayfield- “alright to have a good time,” but Curtis isn’t playing and that dance floor is awful crowded.

And it did take some wrangling to get all those folks in the room. In the past 15 years we have moved through a rebirth of (an admittedly small market) sound, to a backlash, to attempts at reimagining, to further backlash. Now Alkaloid want to carve their own identity from this mess. I do not envy them, though with The Malkuth Grimoire they’re off to a damned fine start.

What is that identity? Comparisons to Meshuggah are inevitable, because they dominate the landscape of tech death like nobody this side of Chuck Schuldiner’s tombstone. This is unfortunate, because I see Alkaloid more along the lines of Gojira by way of Amorphis. Their solos feel finely structured and painstakingly elaborate, and one discerns regal melodies flourishing over and between the rhythmic beds, with just the proper context of baroque excess. They employ the occasional multi-tracked chorus vocal, using the absurd robot voice effect that harkens back to Cynic’s Focus. It might seem beyond cliche by now, but Alkaloid use the trick sparingly and to concise effect.

This album has many strengths and shows great promise, but it’s not quite a masterpiece. Alkaloid has many journeyman musicians, some of them presumably session players. In several passages I can perceive familiar motifs or melodies that are tweaked ever so slightly from formula.

The popular templates and the presence of so many hired guns clustered around a recognized vocalist gives the impression of a “vanity project.” Perhaps this is. I can forgive egomania when it’s done with such style and cleverness. The Malkuth Grimoire is smart, well-played, and even fun. Given the current state of tech death, such qualities are tantamount to a glorious and merciful release. I say let the after-party swing a little longer, the people who stick around make for the best conversation.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Adam M on April 23, 2015.

Alkaloid is a very interesting project featuring Hans Grossman, former drummer of Obscura, amongst others. The Malkuth Grimoire is a progressive death metal album that is very thoughtful in terms of song construction and execution. There are moments of almost jazziness combined with others of very intelligent aggression.

The pacing is consistently varied in speed and tone, leading to an album where no two seconds seem the same. The songs are elaborate, but, unlike some extreme death metal albums, always maintain cohesiveness. There is music here for fans of progressive bands ranging from Cynic to Coroner to Edge of Sanity. The complexity found here is such that multiple listens will be required by the listener and this is more than welcome with the endless amount of excitement to be found around every corner. The musicianship is certainly impressive, but always there to complement the songs, rather than partake in any measures of over-indulgence. Like the best progressive music, the pieces fit into place eventually and make every moment one to savour. There are still many occasions when there are huge chops from the guitar-work like Chthulu. The only small problem with the disc is that some moments veer a little too close to Obscura’s material. However, the album seems like a beginning of an expansion away from that band’s sound into something that is different and at times even more interesting. This is saying something considering the excellence that I believe Cosmogenesis contains.

Alkaloid sufficiently pushes themselves towards realms of uniqueness around almost every turn, however. The timing of The Malkuth Grimoire is incredibly appropriate for the progressive death metal sub-genre. This is a highlight from this year’s metal crop, make sure you don’t miss it.

Rating: 9 out of 10