While Fort Collins undoubtedly has an amazing, thriving local music scene, death metal is hardly the genre most widely associated with The Choice City. However, Northern Colorado’s metal fans have needs, and those needs are filled by the sheer sonic brutality of The Panoramic who surprise-dropped the independently released EP Dead Trumpet Call on October 13th.
Formed in 2012 by guitarist AJ Garner, drummer Jason Sykes and bassist Josh Barratt, The Panoramic deliver straight up death metal with a hint of black metal, echoing styles popularized by such staples as Lamb of God, Behemoth and Cattle Decapitation. The band added lead vocalist Stefan Lopez and guitarist Josh Romero in 2016 releasing their debut album Sacred Anatomy in February of that year.
Upon first spin, Sacred Anatomy appeared to be heavily influenced by the phenomenon dubbed “The New Wave of American Heavy Metal,” a genre that saw enormous success in the early to mid-2000s. However, The Panoramic’s new EP sees the band growing as a unit and exploring new, darker territories.
Dead Trumpet Call kicks off with the anthemic “Man Of The Crowd” which builds a sense of impending doom, leaving the listener waiting on the edge of their seat with feelings of both excitement and horror for the “wall of death” to commence. While “Man of the Crowd” serves as the perfect intro to the record (and great would-be opener live) it’s the title track that really kicks the disc into high gear.
With Dead Trumpet Call, The Panoramic leaves no amount of heaviness behind, expanding on it with dissonant, eerie guitar work, pounding double bass, and vocals that range in style from death metal to black and extreme metal all in one composition.
The title track gives further evidence of the band’s exploration via its accompanying music video which features Michael Olivier (Trash, Disguise The Silence) on bass. Though not on Dead Trumpet Call, Olivier reports working on new material with the Fort Collins heavy hitters.
Though their eyes are on the horizon, the Dead Trumpet Call EP is fresh as new blood and proves that The Panoramic is as heavy as ever, fully capable of creating a brutal, sonic horror movie with each new twist along their path.
Catch The Panoramic at Lost Lake in Denver on Friday, January 18.
Nate Wilde is an on-air personality for 107.9 KBPI, Radio 94.9 and 92.9 The Bear
