So what else is there beyond the album's cover art? There is a death metal band that combines brutality, technicality and progressiveness in what may strike the inexperienced ear as a standard death metal setting. This is not a lengthy journey into the vast expanses of technicality and jazz influences as we've seen from the likes of Obscura and fellow Canadians Beyond Creation. _Perpetuation_ clocks in at the normal length of forty-three minutes and there's definitely a lot of skill on display there. The guitars have a generally trebly sound, but the bass finds some space on many occasions to make an appearance for itself. The vocals are actually quite versatile and sway continuously from high to low pitch with relative ease. I couldn't succeed in identifying a particular influence in terms of vocals throughout _Perpetuation_, except on "Expiry", which really reminded me of The Black Dahlia Murder.

Innovative riffs are to be found on cuts such as "Intricate Decay" and the short yet potent "Yours to Surpass". The opening title track shows off some technical prowess with its progressive feel and explosive riffs, especially in the last minute. The guitar solo on the aforementioned "Intricate Decay" is actually one of the stronger highlights of _Perpetuation_ owing to its slightly middle-eastern tinge. "Olympic" combines the Scandinavian riffing style and high pitched vocals with some technically capable drumming and some cool 5/4 riffage and melodies. Double guitar melodies are used on the brilliantly executed "Digital Birthright", and the melody at the end of "Emergence" fits adequately as the album's ending credit.

I have not been familiarized with Derelict's work prior to _Perpetuation_, but it seems from reading around some websites that they have taken some steps forward. While that is definitely an accomplishment that deserves praise, I feel the need to point out that their brand of death metal falls in a very competitive area. There are hordes of bands around the world playing this same type of proggy tech-death, which means that achieving an outstanding status is quite the herculean feat. Having said that, I think that _Perpetuation_ has all the necessary requirements to put Derelict firmly on the international death metal map.