France's HACRIDE are firm disbelievers in the "less is more" philosophy, preferring a Panzer division assault across your eardrums. This seems to be in line with the current French Metal approach, as practiced (in different ways) by bands like GOJIRA and PHAZM. The production on "Amoeba" leaves very little breathing room, and that's a good thing. You really want to soak in every note of this. Certainly not background music, that's for sure.

Although I can't think of any band that sounds exactly like HACRIDE, their closest contemporaries are Progressive Death Metal-type bands as varied as GOJIRA, MESHUGGAH, and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. From their reptilian influences, they get the aforementioned wall of sound, pummeling vocals, and scraping guitars. From the Yiddish side, they get the brutality and insane polyrhythmic drama Blitzkrieg. From Devin, the undeniable groove and loud-quiet dynamic. It's an impressive, and oppressive, mixture, and they really make it their own.

"Perturbed" and "Fate" provide the most potent (and strangely catchy) blasts of pure Metal fury. As the title of the first track would indicate, these guys ain't happy. "Deprived of Soul" makes the best use of their dynamic range, dipping into a quiet acoustic part in the eye of the storm. The coolest song, however, would have to be the stunning "Zambra," a cover of, of all things, a Flamenco song, featuring the original band (OJOS DE BRUJO). It sounds like PUYA with some serious balls, and honestly makes you wonder why more Death Metal bands don't incorporate Latin rhythms. It's so good, in fact, that they had to put a short instrumental bridge as the next track so the rest of the album wouldn't be overshadowed.

If there's one big problem, it's that the songs mostly blend together, since they consist of the same ingredients. However, Amoeba is such a unique experience, and such a pleasure to listen to (despite its brutality), that it's not a big deal. More is, in fact, more.