My love for bands who reside in the former «Iron Curtain» region of Europe continues this month with Poland’s Sceptic. There must be something in the water over there that is inspiring even the youngest of bands to excel beyond all reasonable expectations, and this five-piece from Cracow is just adding fuel to the fire. What stands out the most about Sceptic is their refusal to follow in the footsteps of their Polish contemporaries. Instead of settling for a sound that would inevitably get them lumped in with their peers, these guys dwell in the greener pastures of technically-adept death-thrash metal.

The instrumental track «Outworld» is a prime example of what Sceptic does best, with a main riff that harkens back to Death’s «Individual Thought Patterns» era. In fact, the Chuck Schuldiner references are numerous on this disc, but it is very admirable that Sceptic manage to achieve an aura of intensity that beckons such a comparison. Bassist Pawel Kolasa contributes some breath-taking «DiGiorgian» fretwork throughout the course of the album, and nowhere is this more prominent than on the song «Imprisoned». If you are one of those people (like me) who get chills listening to the Steve’s slithery, reptilian bass lines on the earlier Sadus recordings, you will find yourself in the throes of technical ecstasy as Kolasa effortlessly slides from one speedy lick to the next. The tandem of guitarists Czesiek Semla and Jacek Hiro is highly impressive as well, with shades of the aforementioned Schudiner and Cynic’s Paul Masvidal emerging from the mix. Drummer Kuba Kogut’s precision time-keeping has an appropriately technical edge, yet he never strays into the fray of self-indulgence (i.e. «Interior of Life»). Last, but not least is vocalist Marcin Urbas, who forgoes the cataclysmic roaring is favor of the sharper and more coherent attack, similar to «Crust»-era Sadist, and Sadus’ Darren Travis.

I can only hope that the Polish scene remains prolific and focused, as it would be a shame for bands such as Sceptic to crash and burn as so many have before them. We’re living in an age where bands have a higher early-mortality rate than the entire nation of Haiti, and it would be nice to the see the deserving ones move on to bigger and better things. On that note, «Blind Existence» is readily available through Relapse, so let’s allow these guys to keep their heads above the water, shall we?

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