It’s always nice to get the unexpected good things in life. For example, putting on that pair of pants and finding an extra bit of money in a pocket you’d forgotten. A friend paying for all the drinks and more on an evening out, or perhaps also getting comp seating in that special section in a high-end restaurant. All these little happenstances are just little welcome surprises that can make the day-to-day drudgery of life a bit better. I say this because delving into the latest from Canada’s DISSIMULATOR gave me quite the welcome surprise. Disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of the rather elaborate or the more intense form of technical Death Metal. Groups like INANIMATE EXISTENCE, OBSCURA, NECROPHAGIST… they are just a bit too over the top for me. Give me a swift kick to the gut with a simplistic, memorable chord or riff and I’m happy. Something that you are able to stomp around your room in mindless abandon, air guitar be thrown out at any moment, and also get that truly Metal grimace while headbanging to the drums. Those kinds of things stick with you for a lifetime, while the aforementioned bands sort of blow by me like a bad 6-month-old TV dinner. Now I do have some bands I can latch onto for a bit, like ORIGIN, early ATHEIST, OMINOUS RUIN to an extent and even PAVOR (anybody remember them?!), but something on heavy rotation is not likely in my day-to-day listening pleasures. So having been allowed to dive deep into the world of “Artifice Dissolves”, I came away with a welcome smile on my face with this release. So sit back and let me tell you why. This album sits squarely for those who are fans of early ATHEIST and GORGUTS and also PESTILENCE. I will dare say that this is the album PESTILENCE should have made after or before “Testimony Of The Ancients”. Each song offers a smorgasbord of truly Metal moments that make each track an experience in itself. Much of the songwriting fits the textbook Thrash approach the chugging riff that permeates most of the songs. Each song is like a rollercoaster with various dips and dives that leave you at the edge of your seat at times. The time changes that happen though all swirl and blend into each other in razor sharp precision. There are some interesting digital background vocal effects as well (used very minimal off course!). The production is spot on and allows clarity in the instrumentation. Yeah, the bass can be a bit higher in the mix and a bit more distinctive, but that’s just me and my own tastes. If there is a slight negative that I can think of is where the songs may lack hooks, I feel they more than make up for energy and thrashy, technical presentation. The band shares a slight sound similarity to fellow countrymen ZERO TOLERANCE. Where ZERO TOLERANCE has a more MEGADETH Thrash vibe going you can still feel the the threads running through each of the bands sound. I will go further on the Canuck theme to add that DISSMULATOR share a bit of the ferocity of Toronto’s KORROSIVE as well. The band definitley threads the needle between plenty of riffs for Thrash fans, but can appease the tech crowd for the most part as well. Also, you just gotta love that album art, the theme, the colors perfectly representative of the sonic undertaking you are about to experience. www.facebook.com/dissimulatorofficial, www.facebook.com/20buckspin