Death Metal started as a really raw, heavy and evil ridden form of music. And it has been pushing its boundaries and reaching new extremes ever since. And in my humble opinion, this fact has made a lot of the "new" Death Metal bands forget the roots of this type of Metal. Most of these bands have been focusing on all aspects except the ones that matter most: writing good riffs and sticking to the pace that works best for them. So, in spite of technical wankery, overproduced sound and inhuman performances, comes a band such as french AD PATRES to remind us that Death Metal can have a good production, yet remain evil and absolutely crushing, as it was meant to be. I got to know these guys from their 2012 split album with the US band WRITHING. And I have to be honest: both bands sounded a little stale to me. Nevertheless, AD PATRES showed some really good riffs here and there. So when their debut album came out that same year, I got it just to check if they had gotten better and sure they had. Even though the production was modern and they had some Core influences, I was impressed by their writing and how they had injected the band with a darker atmosphere. Fast forward to 2019 and thanks to Xenokorp Records, AD PATRES hits us with their sophomore album "A Brief Introduction To Human Experiments". And the band has impressed me once more. This time there are no Core influences, no weak riffs whatsoever, no bland parts. Every song is amazing and they have evolved into a full blown Death Metal band. Sure, the production is clear and the mix is really good, sitting every instrument in its place as it should be in this kind of music, at least in my humble opinion. Some may call it too modern, but the atmosphere, the song structuring, the riffs and the performances are memorable. The sound is organic, raw and perfectly fitting. It actually reminded me of IMMOLATION’s "Atonement". The drums have a great natural sound, the guitars are thick, yet articulated and sharp and the bass guitar, although it mostly follows the guitar, is an ominious presence taking care of the bottom end as it should. I found myself humming a bunch of their riffs. The tempo changes are constant, yet smooth and the transitions fall right into place. As I said before, I could not find a weak spot here. Even the instrumental short pieces here add a lot to the listening experience, giving you some rest from the aural assault that this album is. If you are a purist and cannot stand a production better than a shitty rehearsal, please stay away. But, if you enjoy some brutal and pure Death Metal as a whole and you are in need of a breath of fresh (or sulfuric) air, this album is a must buy. Half an hour of brutal, catchy, groovy, evil and heavy as fuck Death Metal. Period. Go show some support to the band here: www.facebook.com/adpatres. And get their album from the label here: www.xenokorp.com