Hailing from Santa Cruz, California, Decrepit Birth fuse raw physical intensity with exacting precision as a technical death metal outfit. The group’s origins trace to the mid-’90s, when vocalist Bill Robinson crossed paths with guitarist Matt Sotelo and the pair recognized their mutual drive to pursue music without compromise. Momentum built in 2001 once Robinson and Sotelo enlisted bassist Derek Boyer to shape initial material. By 2003 the trio, augmented in the studio by drummer Tim Yeung, had earned notice for their potent stage presence and issued the debut full-length … And Time Begins. Yeung departed soon afterward, and K.C. Howard assumed the drum chair in 2004. Following extensive road work, Sotelo developed new songs that introduced greater melodic depth while retaining the band’s ferocity, culminating in the 2008 release Diminishing Between Worlds. Although Joel Horner had joined on bass by then, Sotelo handled bass and keyboards in addition to guitar for that recording. Their subsequent effort, Polarity, appeared in 2010 on Nuclear Blast after a comparatively swift writing and recording cycle; the core lineup of Robinson, Sotelo, Horner, and Howard was augmented in the studio by guitarists Dan Eggers and Ty Oliver plus drummer Lee Smith. Sam Paulicelli replaced Howard on drums late in 2010, while Sean Martinez succeeded Horner on bass in 2013. After intensive touring behind Polarity, the band paused when Sotelo welcomed his first child and chose to remain at home, yet he continued composing. The resulting sessions, with Sotelo and Martinez tracking from their respective home studios and Paulicelli laying down drums in Canada, yielded the 2017 album Axis Mundi.
