Breeding Chaos Distant Planets Review

Breeding Chaos

Distant Planets

Great Dane Records

2026

France is an often-overlooked metal hotbed. Listenable Records have been bringing metal of all varieties to the masses there since the late '80s, and Gojira are a household name now. Today, however, we are focusing on reputable indie Great Dane Records and fellow countrymen Breeding Chaos, who have recently just re-released 2024’s Distant Planets.

The move marks a wider push for the self-proclaimed “cosmic melodic death metal” quartet’s debut album. If I had to venture a guess as to why the record was a bit overlooked the first time, well, it would have to do with the sonics being rooted in astrophysics and interstellar phenomena. Those two phrases are certainly not common within death metal compositions, but that is exactly why Breeding Chaos deserve more attention. They are anything but typical. We get 7 songs and 3 intro/soundscape/outro tracks here, and what I like most is the clean, low-tuned, evenly mixed production courtesy of Didier Bautzmann. Breeding Chaos’s sound is firmly planted in epic, marching death metal with modern touches that relies heavily on midrange gutturals and harmonized guitars. They do tend to step on the gas in places, but speed is not their main concern, just well-placed to enhance certain parts of the songs.

The vibe throughout is undeniably dark but very melodic (“Accretion Rate,” “Magnetic Interactions”). The tempo is upped considerably for chuggers like “Among the Gods,” and what sets Breeding Chaos apart from many of their contemporaries is an almost progressive-minded approach (“Gamma Afterglow”), heavy on hooks, time-signature shifts, and minimal excursions into sheer brutality. Don't be mistaken, this is undeniably death metal, but it's not all out and turned to eleven. Far from subdued, but still utterly powerful and undeniably heavy.

In just over 31 minutes, Breeding Chaos tear through the cosmos with their brand of thinking man’s death metal. To call it a crushing and ethereal ride would be most accurate. Distant Planets definitely deserves a second look, and I am glad it's getting that chance once again, 2 years after its initial drop. This is an extraterrestrial beast baring plenty of teeth. Space, mid-paced, and in your face!

RIYL- At The Gates, Entombed, Carcass, Dark Tranquility

~TB