At once dissonant, progressive, and technical, Artificial Brain occupies an intersection of intense death metal subgenres like few others. Though Kronos expounded upon Artificial Brain’s debut Labyrinth Constellation and follow-up Infrared Horizon, it wasn’t until Dear Hollow covered Arti B’s self-titled third release that I discovered the Long Island-turned-Richmond, Virginia collective’s exquisitely unsettling wares. And boy did I fall hard for them. Will Smith’s inhuman gurgles, Samuel Smith’s amorphous basslines, and a dizzyingly fluid, three-headed guitarmy activated a deeply recessed niche of my metalmind, awakening me like some sort of death metal sleeper agent. I quickly dove into Artificial Brain’s back catalog and fell in love, only to lament that longtime vocalist Will Smith’s departure presaged the exit of founding members Keith Abrami in 2023 and Jon Locastro in 2025. For fourth album Antillia, guitarist Oleg Zalman1 regroups with remaining OGs Samuel Smith and guitarist Dan Gargiulo as well as newcomers drummer Alex Tomlin (Battlemaster) and vocalist Mike Paparo (Inter Arma). With Artificial Brain thus reprogrammed, does Antillia preserve the band’s idiosyncratic charisma or leave behind a Braindead husk?
Becalm any fears stirred by the tides of change, because Artificial Brain still sounds like Artificial Brain. As referenced in previous reviews, Gorguts and Dodecahedron persist as relevant touchstones even as new or lost ones surface. Pyrrhon immediately springs to mind, which seems only natural given Doug Moore’s (Weeping Sores, Glorious Depravity, Umulamahri) guest vocals on Antillia opener “The Wandering Star Prion.” A squeal of feedback and rollicking drums immediately greet listeners before a cavernous belch echoes across an infra-reverb horizon, saturating Antillia’s atmospheres in magnificent anxiety from the record’s first moments. Besides Moore, Artificial Brain’s live singer Paulo Henri Paguntalan wields a guest mic on “Quantum Malignancies” and “Cosmic Death Church” while Devoid of Thought’s Andrea Collaro lends his raspy growls to “Planet Carrion.” Yet despite the rich palette of vocalists, Paparo reigns supreme and guides a cohesive thread through Antillia’s forty-two minutes, proving that even a reformulated Artificial Brain remains inimitable.
Musically speaking, Artificial Brain writhes with an implacable restlessness that wrestles you to the ground and drags you through nine tracks of doleful brutality. In a good way. Bright, shimmering leads collapse into swirling maelstroms of riffy trems on “Cosmic Death Church,” but by its midpoint the song decelerates to a crawl and evokes a heartrending melancholy that bleeds into follow-up track “Solar Ark.” Arti B’s potency stems from their ability to achieve such compelling pathos organically, as their catawampus cacophony lurches and careens with what, at first blush, may appear haphazard or aimless. Closer examination reveals the delicate craftsmanship of Antillia’s compositions and Artificial Brain’s masterful grasp on writing dynamic swells that constantly spool out tension within and between songs. The flow through “Quantum Malignancies,” “Obsidian Agents,” and “Deciphering the Anachronistic Tongues of the Relic Satellites” epitomizes this savvy songcraft, as the first two surge forth with corrosive hostility while the latter seethes in a mounting lather that boils over into a guest solo courtesy of Kevin Hufnagel (Gorguts, Dysrhythmia).
Antillia harnesses a shocking cohesion despite the music’s overwhelming chaos. Gargiulo and Zalman unite with bassist/guitarist Samuel Smith to breathe life into multi-dimensional soundscapes that ache and assail in oscillating moods, further aided by Tomlin’s thunderous barrages. Such a lawless approach threatens to disorient listeners, and even with Artificial Brain maintaining a firm guiding hand on Antillia’s momentum, it’s easy to lose one’s way during passive listens. It took a few spins for me to get my bearings and make sense of the album, but once I got there, the destination more than compensated me for the time invested. Every subsequent journey through Antillia rewards me with new discoveries highlighted by Ian Jacyszyn’s mix and Colin Marston’s master. Sporting an inconceivably high dynamic range, Antillia begs you to spin the volume knob to the right and bask in lush layers of delectable death metal.
How can something so twisted and warped be so sublime? Damned if I know, but Artificial Brain once again tames the infernal absurdity of disso-tech-prog and convinces utterly that they can succeed even without all the players that made past outings so splendid. The press kit for Antillia mentions that in spite of its pummeling ferocity, the predominant air leans contemplative and brooding. Although Artificial Brain focuses on harrowing topics and bleak outlooks during Antillia, the troupe’s finesse at capturing these disparate emotions and forging intricate arrangements from them earns kudos. So even if it takes a few listens to click, your patience will be rewarded. No Brain no gain.
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 11 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 13th, 2026
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