There’s something to be said for understanding a proper serving size and being OK with letting that out into the world. Leave them wanting more, you know? Bloat is not a good look for anyone (hi, Metallica!) and it can just make you full, with little of what you heard actually sticking. So, when a band understands that and gets that right, it only serves to magnify the power of their creation.

To put it bluntly, Nightmarer make death metal that’s not likely to be everyone’s taste. They revel in dissonance, they bend minds with progressive prowess and technical strength, and they realize unloading too much of that can oversaturate. Their second record “Deformity Adrift” is a testament to that as they deliver nine tracks in 32 minutes, expertly cooking up just enough to satisfy but not having you beg for a merciful end. Lots of bands of their ilk don’t seem to get this, but Nightmarer—vocalist John Collett, guitarists Simon Hawemann and Keith Merrow, bassist Brendan Sloan, drummer Paul Seidel—have the confidence and ability to put their best stuff forward, ravage you, and get out. It makes the challenge easier to face and their stomach-wrenching style more digestible, though you’re still going to find yourself hammered to your core when it’s over.

“Brutalist Imperator” emerges and immediately electrocutes, the growls mauling as the bass bubbles dangerously under the surface. A progressive feel emerges and pops up frequently throughout the record, the punishment jostles ribcages, and the final moments melt into time. “Baptismal Tomb” explodes into sinewy hell, mauling with tech-minded thrashing, the howls tricking your mind. The playing continues to engorge as the band keeps adding pressure, leaving you breathless. “Throe of Illicit Withdrawal” brings melty chaos, snarling and unveiling bizarre auras, slowing down to add more menace to their assault. The drubbing returns as the band decimates your senses, the guitars collecting steam before disintegrating in the clouds. “Tooms” is an eerie interlude that feels like a disorienting dream sequence that leaves you wondering where the connection is between awake and asleep.

“Suffering Beyond Death” blasts and unloads, growls crushing while the playing exposes muscle that can strangle. Sounds swelter as the playing picks up, slowly cutting deep into bone, jarring thoroughly before blasting off. “Taufbefehl” emerges from a storm as howled vocals register, and a weird, spacey vibe takes over, which makes sense considering the alien-like death that slithers. Noise squalls jar eardrums as the playing gets more deliberate, making the assault a little nastier. “Hammer of Desolation” stings and trudges, the growls scraping at open wounds, the slower immersion making the punishment that much more effective. The playing has a rubbery strength, showing dexterity and cruelty, basking in a vicious metallic haze. “Endstadium” is a short interlude with noise wafting and cloud cover thickening, heading into closer “Obliterated Shrine” that takes its time tightening up its vice grip. Guttural power blurs vision as growls mar, and the blackness gets more impenetrable, slipping into a haze and putting you to sleep.

Nightmarer’s technically sharp death metal sounds as vicious and bloody as ever on “Deformity Adrift,” a record that puts a gruesome edge on a more progressive mind frame. There’s a lot to like here, and the band never gets lost up their own asses with their playing, always remembering to inject excitement and personality into the mix. This is a menacing beast, one that makes the most of its time and leaves everything a tangled mess of flesh and bone when it’s over.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/nightmarercult

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://nightmarer.bandcamp.com/album/deformity-adrift

Or here (Europe): https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://totaldissonanceworship.bandcamp.com/

And here: https://vendetta-records.com/