Band:	Notochord
Album:	Aegis
Style:	Post-metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	January 2024

01. Indelible
02. Gloom
03. Abyssal Ontogeny
04. Plasmodia
05. Microbial
06. Xylem
07. Cognition Fields

One of the first debut albums of 2024 will not rank among its longest come year end, but it may well be held up as one of its most inspired.

The name Notochord is likely new to everyone here, having only formed in 2022, but some of the names involved in the project may ring a few bells. In particular, fans of early records from The Contortionist will likely recognize Jonathan Carpenter and Chris Tilley, as they respectively performed vocals and bass on Exoplanet and Intrinsic. Both also perform keyboards in Notochord, where they’re joined by Anthony Buck on guitar along with perhaps the world’s busiest drummer, James Knoerl (currently in Aviations, Brand Of Sacrifice and The Anchoret, among other acts). With past experience as part of the aforementioned bands, one might imagine Aegis, the debut of Notochord, to have a sound rooted in deathcore or djent, but such predictions would be awry.

As for what genres may be more applicable when describing Aegis, I’ve seen it referred to as both progressive metal and post-metal, but Notochord don’t by any means have a progressive post-metal sound destined for Pelagic Records. Curiously enough, The Contortionist do seem like a somewhat relevant band when discussing this album, but arguably more for the first album they released without Carpenter and Tilley; the use of almost ambient tones in conjunction with elaborate prog at points on the album, particularly on the song “Xylem”, is somewhat in line with the album Language.

Also part of the album’s framework is the use of eerie dissonance in some of the riffs, which morphs hectic riffs on tracks such as “Indelible” and “Abyssal Ontogeny” into something even more twisted. Such riffs are often taken to a more extreme level by blasts and growls, but Notochord also feel comfortable pairing the dissonance with cleaner vocals; the end result at times feels comparable to early Cynic. The progressive side of Notochord’s sound is particularly evident in passages such as this; however, there are also gnarlier, slower riffs that owe more to sludge/post-metal, or in some instances arguably more so deathcore. Keeping in mind that this whole album is only 22 minutes long, there’s quite a lot going on within Aegis’s condensed runtime.

Opening song “Indelible” is a versatile demonstration of various aspects of Notochord’s sound; there’s contorted, dissonant prog accompanied by both eerie cleans and growls, punchier riffs, cleaner atmospheric explorations, and even a jazzy guitar solo. The softer portions of this song aren’t really in keeping with the previous reference to Language; there’s a more sinister, ominous feel to the clean guitar motif repeated above complex drumming and disquieting ambient synths across the second half of the song, and when it all eventually fades away, one is left with a sense of unease.

Aegis features a couple of interlude-style pieces, but the likes of “Gloom” and “Microbial” are sufficiently developed as to contribute to the alien and otherworldly atmosphere lingering over the record, which takes my mind to acts such as Cryptic Shift or Blood Incantation in their quieter moments. In truth, Aegis is probably closer to being a progressive death metal album rather than a post-metal one; the complexity is very much at the forefront of the record, as it shifts between twisted cleanliness and outright extremity on “Abyssal Ontogeny”. In contrast, ‘post-‘ sounds are confined to only certain passages on the record, such as the tranquil post-rock conclusion to “Xylem”.

There remain further surprises, with brief cut “Plasmodia” bearing more of a resemblance to mathcore with its technicality, rapid shifting between gears and belligerent delivery, while “Cognition Fields” alternates bouncy djent grooves and discordant bludgeonings. What is arguably most impressive about Aegis is that, even though there’s only 22 minutes in which to fit them all, none of these ideas feel undersold or underdeveloped. The album moves fluidly between each different sound, lingering just long enough for the visit to feel worthwhile before moving on elsewhere.

With all that quickfire shifting between complex prog riffs, more direct brutality, and sinister atmospheric soundscapes, Notochord imbue a malevolence into the sound of Aegis fitting for its conceptual subject matter about a sentient planet awakening and morphing. This terraforming is aptly represented by the unpredictable and convoluted songwriting on Aegis; Notochord have produced a debut album to remember here.