[Riffs] Three (Gauss) Prime Tech-Death Picks.
Call it my own need for novelty and stimulation, call it the pastiche of musical spreads available for slathering on the blog-sandwich. SEO min-maxing be damned; I had a lot of fun writing up a recent Riff (article) exploring a geeky hypothetical.
The query in question? If I were to be operating an exo-suit modelled after a buff Norse-woman, soaring over the battlefields of fictional Hollvania in the fantastic and extremely-addictive video game title Warframe - what technical death metal picks would suit the vibe of the 1999 content based in said year? Peep this link to check out some great 1999 tech-death recommendations!
Well, it’s been a couple of hundred hours of game-time since that post (I did mention the game is addictive, very much so - review is in draft stages!), and I’ve got another ‘Frame in mind this time.
Warframe fans? I can't promise the tunes will be to taste, but give them a shot anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Technical music aficionados? You might just cop some recommendations in a more novel format than your usual rote listicle-style article.
Plenty more music roundups to come from the first half of 2025, and some retrospectives on the gaming industry as well. Stay tuned for more of those in the near future.
For now though? Allow me to introduce you to our jittery cyborg friend and three tech-death releases that’ll help you break the sound-barrier!
Part I: Meet Gauss, Everybody.
[awaits ACKSHUALLYing from WF fans pointing out this is the Prime variant. Shhhhhh.]
“Charging his abilities with every step, he’s streamlined for speed. This is Gauss, the runner, the rapid.
If the battle seems out of control, Tenno, you’re not going fast enough.”
“Engines ready for ignition. Coolant circulation systems online. Revved into kinetic overdrive, the speedster Gauss leaves his competition amidst the dust. Accelerate and race across vast landscapes or seas.
Recharge power from hostile strikes and reduce the force of their impact. Flash-freeze enemies dead in their tracks, then spontaneously combust his foes, as he paves the path to a swift victory. Gauss kickstarted in Update 25.7 (2019-08-29): Saint of Altra.”
Regular Gauss frame. Courtesy of Warframe Wiki @ Fandom.com.
As someone with ADHD, if I can relate to any of the 50+ (!) frames available in Warframe - it’s Gauss.
Dude is literally built top-to-bottom for speed. He is all about the #gottagofast.
So, WF as a video game is an interesting hybridization. One that didn’t click with me at first, but once I got it, I was hooked. Melding third-person The Division styled shooter gameplay with Destiny-2-but-less-predatory-on-its’-userbase action-based abilities, melee and gunplay, it sits in an interesting position.
Much moreso than most other games of its’ ilk, Warframe offers a huge diversity of playstyles.
I’ve heard people refer to Gauss himself as ‘the ADHD frame’ - could not agree more.
First ability, Mach Rush, is literally either a brief burst (tap) or full-blown horse-bolt until one’s energy meter runs out (hold). This sprint serves not only as an effective means of noping out of a crowded encounter; you can also slam enemies into walls and utilise the ability to help charge said battery-meter during his 4th ability (see below).
Second ability Kinetic Plating does what it says on this agitated, energetic tin - absorption of several damage status types (Physical, Heat, Cold, Blast) relative to the battery meter’s charge. Also very handy in a pinch, and synergises well with that all-important 4th ability.
Third ability and dear-favourite of the community (and one I’m very far off utilising optimally/effectively - I just set everyone on fire and call it a day) is, as the kids say, OP. Thermal Sunder allows for different elemental damage types depending on whether you’ve tapped or held the button; the former providing opportunities to inflict serious Cold damage (and a second press, freeze enemies in place) in an AOE, the latter going full-thermal and igniting enemies in an area around Gauss on fire. Combine the two for some pull-style grouping and Blast-type damage, and you’ve got yourself a slew of options for getting around resistances to XYZ damage type and a surprisingly-creative way to keep a skill feeling less spam-and-forget than perhaps some others.
Having only just farmed Gauss’ Prime par ts and constructing in the Foundry about 5-10hrs of gameplay ago (I’m slow and suboptimal with my play - I play Warframe to chill and vibe ‘kay?), I was forever in awe watching thin blue lines of electric energy whizz past my comparatively cumbersome Hildryn-Prime gunboat - only to watch entire rooms full of baddies explode without warning.
‘least we don’t have to curl up into a ball to go fast. Hmph - Gauss Stans, 2025
Gauss’ power isn’t completely dependent on his 4th ability, Redline, but it synergises and scales so well with all of the above skills that’s I’d call it essential in most situations. Common feedback about Gauss’ design in the community is just how well everything slots together ability-wise. Having Redline active will not only send arcs of bolts out to flay not-so-innocent enemy bystanders, you’ll also receive scaled benefits to each of the above skills as well as fire-rate, reload, an Energy discount on Mach Rush, increased Status chance (burny/freezy) on Thermal Sunder, 100% melee damage and stagger bonuses and more.
Hildryn Prime I think will always be a main squeeze of mine, even if we call that sunk-cost fallacy by way of gold potatoes and Forma. That said, Gauss is just a smooth, fun, frantic and synergetic experience that he’s fast becoming my go-to mission-runner at the moment (sorry Wisp Prime - love you xoxo).
Flavour-wise, the guy is so perpetually full of mechanised hyperactivity-disorder that the character animation never, ever sits still!
What does all this have to do with technically-proficient music? Easy. We’re power-coupling what’s essentially a piece of esoteric exosuit biomachinery to tunes that are fast, loud and dazzling.
Join me, in a list of some great technical death-metal (and other genres) that have seen a release so far in 2025. Not ever going to dunk on the frankly-baller OST Digital Extremes have developed for the title (seriously, it goes hard and adds a LOT of atmosphere, great work!), I’ll instead recommend a bunch of tunes from the year that are wine-and-cheese with…. with running around past sonic-speed setting things on fire and zapping ‘em.
See below for album streams/info, artist/label links and more.
Enjoy the tunes in Part II; this acts as one of a few roundup articles we’ll be doing here for 2025 mid-year as part of the Behind Screen and Speaker series!
Peace, Love and Turning The Digital Extremes Office Into Extreme-Metalheads, xoxo - Brady (and Gauss).
Part II: Musical Sundering, Through Tech - 2025 Releases To Catch Up On!:
Eschaton - Techtalitarian
Location: Various (International)
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Release Date: 30th May, 2025
Bio:
Technical death metal band Eschaton return after a gap of six years with a reinvigorated, star-studded line-up that undoubtedly elevates their sound to hitherto unexplored heights. They have none other than Christian Münzner formerly of Obscura and Necrophagist accompanying the band founder Josh Berry on guitars. For the vocals, they have enlisted the services of Mac Smith of Apogean and Abyssalis and for the bass, they have brought on Scott Bradly from Inanimate Existence while Darren Cesca of Pillory and formerly in Deeds of Flesh and Arsis continues to hold down the fort on drums. Most importantly, this line-up sounds just as devastating on this album as it does on paper.
They have contributed to creating a tech death album that can stand on its own and does not have to be necessarily pitted against any of the aforementioned bands' past efforts. The members excel in their own specialized ways and they manage to make it work. It is meticulously and passionately put together which is all too apparent in the music that can be dizzyingly fast and mind-bogglingly technical but also groovy and memorable while being on the whole diverse yet dynamic and pulsating with energy. It is not just music meant for the tech death fans; it is music that will invariably get them excited. As such, this should be regarded as an landmark album in the style, with the presence of the illustrious members in the lineup not taking away from the irrefutable fact that this is indeed great tech death music.
Techtalitarian Full-Album Stream Link (via TOR on Youtube):
Line up -
Mac Smith - Vocals (Apogean, Abyssalis, Hammer of Dawn)
Christian Muenzner - Lead Guitar (Retromorphosis, Eternity's End, ex-Necrophagist, ex-Obscura, ex-Alkaloid)
Josh Berry - Guitar (Eschaton founder)
Darren Cesca - Drums (Goratory, Serpents of Gnosis, Pillory, Ex-Deeds of Flesh, Ex-Arsis)
Scott Bradley - Bass (Inanimate Existence)
Artwork by Dave Melvin
Track Listing -
1. Inferior Superior
2. Devour the Contrarian
3. Blood of the People
4. Hellfire's Woe
5. The Bellicose Duality
6. Econocracy
7. Antimatter
8. Techtalitarian
9. The Sufferer's Dichotomy
10. Castle Strnad
[Editor’s Note: Bellicose! That’s an Arcane!]
SPEEDY SUPERGROUP GRINEER-GRINDING BRUTALITY, AVAILABLE AT:
ESCHATON/TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY:
Official Video
Official Video Stream
Eschaton Bandcamp
Official Transcending Obscurity Site
Transcending Obscurity Facebook
Eschaton Facebook
Official Label YouTube Channel
Label US Store
NEW Europe Store
2. Fractal Universe - The Great Filters
Location: France
Label: M-Theory Audio
Genre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal
Release Date: April 4th, 2025
Album Bio:
‘The Great Filters’ will be released on limited-edition (500) red with black splatter vinyl, Digipak CD, digital and an exclusive to band/label red and cream marble vinyl limited to 200 copies and bundle options with album t-shirt.
Order now at:
http://lnk.to/fractaluniverse
Get ready to embark on a sonic journey like no other. Stay tuned for more updates, tour dates, and the highly anticipated new album.
FRACTAL UNIVERSE started life in 2015 in Nancy, France self-releasing an independent EP ‘Boundaries of Reality’ the same year. Signing to Italy’s Kolony Records, ‘Engram of Decline’ followed two years later with a concept record inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy. The group attracted the attention of Metal Blade Records, who released their second full-length ‘Rhizomes of Insanity’ in 2019, solidifying their reputation as a force in the progressive metal world. ‘Rhizomes…’ explores the fragmented nature of human consciousness, combining philosophical lyricism with technical precision merging heaviness with melody seamlessly. ‘The Impassable Horizon’ (2021) marked a leap forward in songwriting and production and delved into the themes of determinism and free will, drawing inspiration from existentialist though. The album also features saxophone sections, further blending their progressive tendencies with jazz elements. Critics lauded the albums a masterpiece of progressive metal. which garnered critical acclaim for its innovative songwriting and high production quality. Their dynamic live performances, which has seen them tour with Obscura, Evergrey, Black Dahlia Murder, God Dethroned, Thulcandra, and more, further highlights their technical expertise and passion for their craft.
SHRED YOUR ENEMIES INTO TINY, FRACTALS VIA THESE LINKS:
FU - Official Website:
www.fractaluniverseband.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/fractaluniverseband
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/fractaluniverseband
Youtube Channel:
www.youtube.com/fractaluniversemetal
M-Theory Audio - Label Site:
www.m-theoryaudio.com
The Great Filters Album-Stream Link (via Artist Youtube):
3. Encelado - Pillars of Creation
Location: Italy
Label: Regenerate Records
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Release Date: 29th April, 2025
Album Bio:
Italian Death Metal duo, ENCELADO, will release debut EP, Pillars of Creation, on April 29 via Regenerate Records!
Pillars Of Creation pays tribute to the elephant trunks of interstellar gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula photographed by the Hubble Telescope from NASA on April 1, 1995. The EP's lyrical themes include space exploration, artificial intelligence, human consciousness and death. The sound of the EP blends the varied metal influences of members Damien and Simone. The music contains a mix of of influences from bands such as Aborted, All Shall Perish and Dying Fetus, while Simone's growling vocals are largely influenced by bands like Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation.
Track Listing:
1. Dark Nebulas [Approved for Airplay]
2. Gravety
3. Fragments of Fear
4. Pillars of Creation
Credits:
All music and lyrics by Damien.
All arrangements by Encelado.
Recorded and Mixed at Umbra Studio (Italy).
Band logo by Damien.
Artwork layout by Damien.
Pre-order:
Send DM’s to the band directly via their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enceladoband/
BIO:
ENCELADO is a project created by two old time friends sharing a passion for extreme metal. Between the end of 2023 and 2024, Simone (vocals) and Damien (guitars, bass guitars) started to work on some demo material that resulted in debut EP Pillars Of Creation.
Line-Up:
Simone: Vocals
Damien: Guitars, Bass Guitar, Synth, Backing vocals
Max: Sesssion Drums (Tracks 1, 3, 4)
Devin: Session Drums (Track 2)
BLAST THE EP SO FAST YOUR ENEMIES WILL BE STARDUST, AT:
Pillars of Creation EP - Full Stream via Clawhammer PR on Youtube:
As mentioned, we’ll be back with more tunes from across the year! Plenty more where that came from.
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