Decrepit Birth’s promo reads: "Finally after nine years, Decrepit Birth has put together a full length album. The past demos featured a drum machine due to the hyper-tempo of the guitar mastery. …And Time Begins features Tim Yeung (Hate Eternal) on drums, perhaps one of three drummers on the planet who could have pulled of [sic] the 270 beats per minute tempos."

Though the "one of three" may be a major exaggeration, Yeung’s drumming is truly about as fast and accurate as I’ve ever heard. And even at blistering tempos, he manages to throw in interesting fills and change things up; he definitely doesn’t let things get boring. And since the drumming is the best part of the album, it would have been more than disappointing if it were done by machine.

As for the promo, it may have also exaggerated the "guitar mastery" part. Though there aren’t any mistakes or technically weak parts to speak of, there’s not much worth drooling over. The vocals are also middle-of-the road, made up almost exclusively of deep, throaty growls. But …And Time Begins features some pretty good grooves along with the insane drumming, and at no point would I describe it as boring or repetitive; there’s always something worth listening to (often, multiple times). It’s an excellent album. (7/10)