Album Review: Continuum – Designed Obsolescence (Unique Leader Records)

Continuum are a technical death metal band from Santa Cruz, CA that was formed in the summer of 2009 by Chase Fraser (Decrepit Birth) following the disbanding of Animosity, a bay area metal band. After a couple years writing and rehearsing with different musicians, a lineup was fleshed out featuring Riley McShane of Allegeon on vocals, Ivan Munguia of Deeds of Flesh on guitar, Nick Willbrand on bass and Spencer Edwards on drums. Eventually they released their first album on Unique Leader Records in April of 2015.

Fast forward 3 years and Continuum are back with their second album on Unique Leader. With the addition of Ron Casey on drums (Inanimate Existence, ex Braindrill, ex Rings of Saturn) and a wider spectrum of progressive technical death metal song writing, new album Designed Obsolescence hits stores February 22nd 2019.

Guitarist Chase Fraser commented on the album, “We’re really excited to release our second record for Unique Leader Records. I feel like this album encapsulates the feel of our first album while adding many more layers and expanding on the concept of what Continuum can do as a band.”

A nasty little record, Continuum’s Designed Obsolescence provides intensity, brutality and flair. As technically proficient as you could possibly hope it to be, Theorem, Release from Flesh and Blood and A History Denied start things off in all the right ways. Providing crushing heaviness played at an insane pace.

The guitars, vocals and drums each take turns kicking you as hard as possible in the stomach. There is no discernible beat, there is no melody and there is even less in the way of catchiness. Instead we have a lesson in how to control an instrument and Continuum treat theirs like a wild animal.

Several times it seems as though it’s about to get out control (the title track in particular) but they somehow manage to wrestle it back into submission. It’s startling stuff but like most technical death metal, there is only so much a person can take before it starts to sound the same.

That is no different with Continuum who have a few tracks that start bleed into one another. Into the Void is one such example that doesn’t do anything special to stand out from the crowd making it forgettable.

Still when you get such heavyweight tracks as Remnants of Ascension and Repeating Actions, does it really matter!?

Continuum – Designed Obsolescence Full Track Listing:

1. Theorem
2. Release from Flesh and Blood
3. A History Denied
4. Designed Obsolescence
5. All Manner Of Decay
6. Autonomic
7. Into The Void
8. Remnants Of Ascension
9. Repeating Actions

If you’re in the EU you can order the album here and if you’re in the US/Canada you can order the album here. Find out more by checking out Continuum’s Facebook Page and Instagram.