Replicant (U.S.)

Hailing from New Jersey within the northeastern American megalopolis, extreme metal merchants REPLICANT come from a region saturated with brutality. REPLICANT set themselves apart from the pack by honing their brand of unorthodox death metal laden with technicality, dissonance, and atmosphere, marinated in an unhealthy dousing of groove. At times progressive, but unapologetically regressive, the forward-thinking collective have been twisting the concept of technical death metal since their inception in 2014.

REPLICANT’s music stands upon the groundwork laid down before them by acts such as GORGUTS, NEGATIVA, HUMAN REMAINS, and DEMILICH, from which they take inspiration and carve an identity all their own. Since their first live appearance in 2016, REPLICANT have performed consistently across the East Coast United States and Canada delivering an onslaught of mind-bending, fist-clenching, muscular death metal.

REPLICANT was conceived by guitarist Pete Lloyd (DYSTROPHY) and bassist, guitarist, vocalist Mike Gonçalves (WINDFAERER, PUTRASCENSION, ex-GRIMUS). They recruited DYSTROPHY drummer Matt Thompson and DEATH FORTRESS’s TG on bass to make shockwaves across tech-adjacent underground metal circles with their angular, chaotic and dissonant 2016 debut Worthless Desires. Shortly after its release TG left and REPLICANT toured Canada and commenced working on what will later become their first full length Negative Life. 2018’s Negative Life, the band’s first release as a trio with Gonçalves on bass and vocals, demonstrated their vision for bleak atmosphere mixed with filthy grooves. No Clean Singing called it “a cinematic-level experience that takes me by the hand and guides me through the rough and tumble walk of death metal fervor. Negative Life isn’t just badass, it’s pretty damn clever as well.” In the same year, REPLICANT allied with fellow-New Jersey grindcore duo BAYHT LAHM to unleash the Welcome to New Jersey split.

In 2021, REPLICANT unleashed the ferocious and critically-acclaimed second full length Malignant Reality under the banner of Transcending Obscurity Records. According to Angry Metal Guy, “Malignant Reality combines the outre dissonances of Obscura with the unsparing puissance of Reign Supreme for a record as dominant and disgusting as they come.” More ambitious than their prior work Malignant Reality contains cameos by THANK YOU SCIENTIST and WINDFAERER violinist Ben Karas, former DYSTROPHY (and current HATH) guitarist Peter Brown and TOMBS frontman Mike Hill.

In 2022, REPLICANT welcomed WINDFAERER guitarist Itay Keren into the fold in order to perform as a four-piece. Currently, REPLICANT are working on the follow-up to 2021’s Malignant Reality. REPLICANT have been compared to NEGATIVA, SUNLESS, ULCERATE, DISKORD, BURNT BY THE SUN, NORSE and PYRRHON. About to embark therir first European tour. New album out Spring 2024.