It’s a bigger surprise in metal when we go time without surprises. Krallice remain the experts of just dropping a mammoth new record in your lap, unbeknownst. Even Neurosis did that this year with one of the most surprising returns in decades. We could wake up tomorrow morning with an out-of-the-blue record from Sabbath, and I’d barely blink.

The latest to take part in this madness is West Coast Portland-based tech death manglers Ænigmatum and their third record “Infinitude’s Passing,” which landed unexpectedly July 31 digitally (physical copies arrive Sept. 4). We haven’t heard from the band in five years (which feels like an eternity considering the past half decade), and they bring a 6-track, 43-minute excursion into bruising madness. The band—vocalist/guitarist/bass clarinet player Kelly McLaughlin, guitarist Eli Lundgren, bassist/vocalist Brian Rush, drummer/synth player/vocalist Pierce Williams (Patrick Corona provides saxophone, and Danny Quetzal contributes backing vocals)—stretches you to your mental and physical limit, and not knowing the attack was coming made it even harder to defend.

“Pitiless Mechanism” bleeds in before coming apart, the playing drilling minds as the growls hammer, and the leads create a surging fury. The pace twists as steam rises, the melodies sprawl, and the guitars churn, guts spewed on the ground as everything ends in smoke. “Inseverable” starts with gushing leads and technically minded chaos erupting, growls clobbering as the melodies explore, and the bass twists around necks. The playing bubbles as electricity rockets through veins, mashing as the trickiness confounds. Volcanic rivers explode as the pace toys with your psyche, the intensity strikes, and ash cakes your mouth. “Architects of the Fated” enters coolly, the bass swirls, and the drums do damage, the growls seeking to maim. The pace melts as speaking adds to the claustrophobia, speed ignites into a flurry of guitars, the bass unloads, and the last gasps leave bruising.

“A Tarnished Nexus” is moody when it starts, then guitars cut into the center, howls lash, and the ferocity illuminates the room, turning back, and then laying waste all over. Growls wrench as the band achieves total decimation, guitars add to the growing steam bath, and the leads swallow you whole. “Nocturne of Ageless Reverie” pummels, wrecks, catchy guitar work zaps, and a strange sunburst chars your face. The playing ravages and pounds, hitting the gas pedal recklessly, thrashing with multiple colors before burning away. The closing title track starts clean before grinding gears, twin leads blazing, exploring the outer reaches as growls echo. The bass boils as the tempo accelerates, guitars sprawling through rapidly changing temperatures, mashing as the growls mix brains in skulls. Spacey sax from Corona wafts past the stars, bringing spacious warmth, then howls lash as everything fades.

“Infinitude’s Passing” is yet another unexpected surprise and one that is here to rearrange brain cells and psychic wonders, making for a spellbinding experience. Ænigmatum strike technically and brutally on these six tracks, taking you on a trip into cosmos and beyond, through strange planes, then back to your own, with you stretched as a human. This is a warping and molten experience that may alter the way you digest death metal.

For more on the band, go here: https://aenigmatum.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/aenigmatum

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/