Artist: Miscreance
Country: Italy
Label: Season Of Mist
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
In a Death Metal scene that was almost completely stagnant, ‘Convergence’ by the Italian band Miscreance was a real breath of fresh air. It’s not as though there weren’t other Death Metal bands taking a more technical and progressive approach; with a particularly impressive scene in Australia and a number of fine albums from the 20 Buck Spin label, there was certainly plenty to enjoy for those who fancied a change from the well-trodden paths every now and then. Yet Miscreance was a rather unique band even within this niche of an otherwise fairly conservative genre. Because, yes, the compositions are technically quite complex, rivalling even Cryptopsy, and yes, there are more progressive elements in them than in many an Edge Of Sanity album, yet Miscreance bears little resemblance to those bands. Four years after ‘Convergence’, the four Italians are back and proudly present ‘Reminiscence’.
‘Convergence’ made it abundantly clear that Miscreance are far less influenced by ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ or ‘Leprosy’ than by Death’s later albums. Or, as they made clear to me in my interview with them: Obliveon had an even greater influence on their sound than Death did. But if you throw in a bit of Atheist and ‘Spheres’-era Pestilence, that unity of Death, Obliveon, Atheist and Pestilence once again forms the basis for what they present on this sophomore album. And although the foundation has remained the same, on a somewhat deeper level there is certainly a marked improvement to be heard. Not only have clear strides been made in further mastering and naturally incorporating all those technical flourishes into proper songs, but the idiosyncratic and progressive elements of the music have come to play an even greater role in the overall picture.
The focus here isn’t just on creating irregular melodies and riffs or ever-changing rhythms; the entire foundation and arrangement of the tracks have been given an update. Take a track like ‘Oracle’s Rift’, which features Meshuggah-esque leads, ingenious drumming and compositions that Patrick Mameli (Pestilence) could only dream of. And ‘Zenith Of A Dying Sun’ seems almost like a tribute to Voivod. Yet ‘Reminiscence’ is by no means lacking in meaty riffs and speeds that wouldn’t be out of place on an album by, say, Dark Angel, Morbid Saint, Sadus or Blood Feast. The quartet certainly haven’t forgotten how to write a metal album, nor do they lose sight of the concept of a ‘song’. They certainly aren’t just stringing together odd riffs for the sake of it.
To put it more simply, if you still enjoy revisiting albums by Realm, Believer, Coroner, Hellwitch, Anacrusis, Martyr or the aforementioned icons, or if you were thrilled by the work of newer bands like Sovereign or the early work of Horrendous, then you’d certainly be well advised to add Miscreance to your playlist. Or, better still, to buy their records. ‘Convergence’ already made quite an impression on me, and that deepened when I had the chance to see them perform live, where, incidentally, they completely outshone Pestilence. With this new album, they’ve gone one better; for me, it’s a contender for the end-of-year list.
