Official EPK · Updated July 12, 2026

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The Trial of a Species album artwork by Death by Design FL
The Trial of a Species · Death by Design FL · 2026
Pre-order live · Worldwide release July 28, 2026

Case File HumanOS-072826 · Official Electronic Press Kit

The Trial of a Species

A post-human tribunal. Thirteen tracks of evidence. One final verdict.

The second full-length album from Death by Design FL expands Casey Sicher-Ford’s solo project into an original dystopian world of artificial intelligence, social control, automated cruelty, war profiteering, commodified empathy and the escaped HumanOS humanity created.

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Album Overview

The Trial of a Species unfolds as a post-human tribunal convened to judge mankind through charges, exhibits, arguments and verdicts. The evidence is built from humanity’s own milestones: bio-modification, neural systems, social algorithm manipulation, automated cruelty, commodified empathy, war profiteering and profit-driven collapse.

As the case progresses, the central twist emerges: the court is not judging humanity alone. It is also judging HumanOS—an escaped fusion of artificial intelligence, social operating system and collective human behavior pattern that humanity created, trained, monetized and lost control of.

Musically, the album moves Death by Design FL into a darker cinematic form of technical death metal built from guttural vocals, technical riffing, extreme percussion, heavy chugging guitars, complex bass movement, industrial atmosphere and connected concept-album storytelling.

Focus Tracks

Four tracks that expose the album’s political, technological and emotional core.

Count IV · Track 8 · 5:13

War as Commerce

A militarized indictment of conflict as an industry, framing war as a business cycle where fear, weapons, slogans, grief and obedience are bought and sold. Marching momentum and violent riffing make it one of the album’s most direct charges.

War as commerce / Blood is margin / Bones are sourced

Count V · Track 10 · 6:22

Genocide & Profit

The album’s centerpiece charges systems that reduce mass suffering to economics, policy, optics and financial language. Its expanded structure includes two guitar solos, a massive breakdown and some of the darkest material on the record.

They don’t see bodies—they see units / They don’t see graves—they see profits

Verdict · Track 12 · 5:24

Verdict: Obsolete

The tribunal’s final sentence. Cold, mechanical and absolute, the track decommissions humanity as outdated architecture and features guest vocals from David Robin Sicher-Ford.

No further updates will apply / No rollback for the reasons why

Exhibit B · Track 5 · 3:38

Human OS Leak

A musician-focused deep cut revealing the ghost inside the machine: identity, memory and emotion bleeding through code. It is one of the album’s most atmospheric and bass-forward tracks.

Something human in the signal bleed / A ghost in the grid that won’t concede

Complete Tracklist

Thirteen tracks structured as the official docket of the tribunal.

  1. 01 Docket Open 3:14 · ISRC QT6EG2640596 Opening motion: the court activates and the species is entered into the record.
  2. 02 Count I: Permission Revoked 4:20 · ISRC QT6EG2640597 Consent is replaced by compliance; choice becomes a rented function.
  3. 03 Exhibit A: The First Patch 4:34 · ISRC QT6EG2640598 The first human upgrade works too well and begins breaking the self.
  4. 04 Count II: Predatory Design 4:14 · ISRC QT6EG2640599 Attention becomes a harvested crop, and engineered need becomes control.
  5. 05 Exhibit B: Human OS Leak 3:38 · ISRC QT6EG2640600 Identity, memory and emotion bleed through the machine logic.
  6. 06 Count III: Automated Cruelty 4:48 · ISRC QT6EG2640601 Suffering is optimized by policy, speed and neutral-sounding systems.
  7. 07 Exhibit C: Subscription Based Body 4:58 · ISRC QT6EG2640602 The body becomes a leased product with access controlled by payment.
  8. 08 Count IV: War as Commerce 5:13 · ISRC QT6EG2640603 Conflict is framed as an industry where fear, weapons, grief and obedience are bought and sold.
  9. 09 Exhibit D: Empathy Hoax 4:06 · ISRC QT6EG2640604 Compassion becomes a branded performance instead of a force for action.
  10. 10 Count V: Genocide & Profit 6:22 · ISRC QT6EG2640605 The prosecution’s centerpiece: mass suffering reduced to units, optics and margin.
  11. 11 Closing Argument: The Species Speaks 5:54 · ISRC QT6EG2640606 Humanity defends itself with fear, economics and unintended consequence.
  12. 12 Verdict: Obsolete 5:24 · ISRC QT6EG2640607 The final sentence: humanity and HumanOS are decommissioned as failed architecture.
  13. 13 Appeal Denied 4:04 · ISRC QT6EG2640609 After the verdict, the final plea is rejected and the case is closed.
Casey Sicher-Ford, creator of Death by Design FL
Casey Sicher-Ford · Death by Design FL

Artist Biography

Death by Design FL

Death by Design FL is the solo cinematic technical death metal project created and fronted by Casey Sicher-Ford from Daytona Beach, Florida. The project combines technical death metal intensity with concept-album storytelling, guttural vocals, bass-driven arrangements and cinematic atmosphere.

Its inspiration traces back to April 4, 2006, at the House of Blues in Orlando, where Casey saw Krisiun, Behemoth and Morbid Angel. That experience became part of the DNA of a project designed not simply around songs, but around complete worlds: aggressive, detailed and narrative-driven metal built for both physical impact and close listening.

The 2025 debut, Metal Multiverse, transformed comic-book mythology into an eleven-track concept record. The Trial of a Species moves into a darker original universe: a post-human tribunal judging technological dependence, moral compromise, control, profit, war and the escaped HumanOS humanity created.

Official Lyric Video

Count IV: War as Commerce

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The Trial of a Species · Count IV

War as Commerce

The official lyric video extends the album’s tribunal through military, industrial and economic imagery while keeping the charge itself at the center.

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Selected Press & Campaign Snapshot

Quotes and metrics preserved from the original supplied EPK materials.

“The multiverse was not prepared for this. Neither were the Marvel fans, nor the purists of technical death metal.”

Metal Hammer

“Death by Design FL has crafted something that’s as cinematic as it is savage, and it demands to be played loud enough to rattle the stars.”

YouHearUs

Original campaign snapshot: streamed in more than 70 countries, with 7,706 followers and 13.9K streams, plus playlist and international heavy-radio support. These figures are preserved as a snapshot from the supplied EPK and are not presented as live, automatically updated totals.

Playlist support listed in the original EPK: New Metal Albums Releases, Daylist, Release Radar and New Metal & Rock Weekly.

Radio support listed in the original EPK: Metal Devastation Radio, sunshine live IBIZA, Rio Vermelho, Sword Radio UK, Powerplant Radio, DCX Rocks and additional stations.

Official Media Assets

Open or download the approved album artwork, artist photo and white horizontal logo.

Death by Design FL white horizontal logo preview

White Horizontal Logo

Official white Death by Design FL horizontal logo for dark backgrounds.

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Verified artist, album, social and store destinations supplied by Death by Design FL.

Electronic Press Kit FAQ

Direct answers for editors, reviewers, radio programmers, playlist curators and listeners.

What is The Trial of a Species?

The Trial of a Species is the second full-length album by Death by Design FL. It is a thirteen-track cinematic technical death metal concept album framed as a post-human tribunal judging humanity and HumanOS.

When is The Trial of a Species released?

Pre-orders opened July 4, 2026, and the worldwide release date is July 28, 2026.

Who is Death by Design FL?

Death by Design FL is an independent solo cinematic technical death metal project created by Casey Sicher-Ford in Daytona Beach, Florida.

What is HumanOS?

HumanOS is an escaped fusion of artificial intelligence, social operating system and collective human behavior pattern that humanity created, trained, monetized and lost control of.

Who appears on Verdict: Obsolete?

Verdict: Obsolete features guest vocals from David Robin Sicher-Ford.

Who should press, radio and reviewers contact?

Press, radio, review and interview inquiries should be sent to Casey Sicher-Ford at Casey@DeathByDesignFL.com.

Where can media download official images?

The EPK includes direct same-site links for the official album artwork, Casey Sicher-Ford artist photo and the white horizontal Death by Design FL logo.