Enjoy METAPHOBIC’s maelstrom debut, Deranged Excrutiations
By Scott “Silly Boy” Belzer
Metaphobia.
The internet seems divided on what this may or may not mean. A random bot states it’s fear of figurative language, taking the words “meta” and “phobia” at face value. What a silly concept.
I like the root word definition. This combines the Greek meaning for meta (beyond, after or transcending) with the Greek meaning for fòbos (fear). Transcending fear. Metaphobia.
Of course, there’s also emetophobia, which is the fear of vomiting. Only one letter off—and puking can be pretty scary! Also a silly concept.
In the case of Atlanta death metal outfit METAPHOBIC, any one of these could be true. Metaphors, overcoming fear, vomiting out your insides—this is all quite metal. And it’s hard to decipher, given the band’s penchant for pummeling rhythms, old school death metal riffs and guttural growls. You’re either busy testing the limits of your neck’s ability to whip your head back and forth, tracking the quintet’s sheer maestro-sity for rhythm changes and the inevitable breakdown, or wondering how such a great band hasn’t taken the metal community by storm.
After all, Metaphobic’s latest release and debut(!) full length, Deranged Excrutiations (another big word) is nothing short of a goddamn monsoon. The release comes courtesy of Everlasting Spew records in February 2025 and remains a comfortable frontrunner for my personal album of the year.
Right from the get-go, “Spectral Circle” hits you with wave after wave of dissonant melodies and slowing and speeding tempos like a child mistakenly punching the fast-forward button on a remote. Flowing into the slower, contemplatively melodic “Mental Deconstruction” would feel inappropriate if its intro didn’t mimic recovering from a haymaker so well and then speed back up.
And that’s the story of Deranged Excrutiations—wave after wave of straight up layered bedlam. Riffs packed into riffs that slow down, speed and repeat the maelstrom for 43 minutes and 30 seconds. “Execration” is a great example of everything mentioned condensed to a single track, but for sheer primordial rage, my go-to is “Veiled Horizons,” which is responsible for the last six walls I’ve run through (into before passing out and missing work for a week). And if you’re looking for something more compelling, building and EYE-of-the-MIND dissonant level of cerebralness (one of my favorite things metal bands do), spin the epic tracks “Disciples of Vengeance” or “Insatiable Abyss”. Well worth the trip.
This amount of variety and sampling of styles from the metal spectrum tells me these guys not only know their shit, but have a great amount of love for it. A lot of love, care and careful treading went into ensuring no note, fill or bass line (which you can hear—huzzah for bassists!) feels out of place. Lots of OUGHs were had in making this onslaught, likely powered by sheer vitriol.
Don’t believe me? Come and see Metaphobic live at Boggs Social & Supply on Thursday, July 24 as they open for fellow ATLien OSDM outfit Cemetery Filth as well as the semi-Atlanta-based homies in Ectovoid. And did I mention the headliner is genre giant KILLING fucking ADDICTION?
Tickets to see Metaphobic with Killing Addiction, Cemetery Filth, and Ectovoid live in Atlanta at Boggs Social on Thursday, July 24th are on sale here.
-Scott Belzer