Death by Design FL · Second Full-Length Album
A post-human tribunal. Thirteen tracks of evidence. One final verdict.
The Trial of a Species is a thirteen-track cinematic technical death metal concept album by Death by Design FL. The record unfolds as a legal proceeding in which a post-human tribunal prosecutes humanity and HumanOS through charges of predatory design, automated cruelty, war, genocide, profit and engineered empathy.
The album is framed as a post-human courtroom proceeding. Humanity’s own milestones become evidence: bio-modification, neural systems, social algorithm manipulation, automated cruelty, commodified empathy, war profiteering and profit-driven collapse. As the case advances, the court reveals that it is judging not only humanity, but HumanOS—the system humanity created, trained, monetized and lost control of.
Thirteen tracks, 60 minutes and 49 seconds. Every title functions as part of the tribunal.
Four pivotal pieces that expose the album’s political, technological and emotional core.
Count IV · Track 8 · 5:13
A militarized indictment of conflict as an industry, framing war as a business cycle where fear, weapons, slogans, grief and public obedience are bought and sold.
Watch the Official Lyric VideoCount V · Track 10 · 6:22
The album’s six-minute centerpiece: a sprawling charge against systems that reduce mass suffering to economics, policy, optics and financial language.
Read the Album LyricsVerdict · Track 12 · 5:24
Cold, mechanical and absolute, the tribunal’s final sentence features guest vocals from David Robin Sicher-Ford.
View in the DocketExhibit B · Track 5 · 3:38
A musician-focused deep cut that reveals the ghost inside the machine: identity, memory and emotion bleeding through the code.
View in the DocketOfficial Lyric Video
Watch the tribunal’s charge against conflict as a monetized system of fear, destruction and obedience.
The Trial of a Species · Count IV
The official lyric video expands the album’s courtroom world through military, industrial and economic imagery while keeping the indictment itself at the center.
Stream the album, purchase a digital or physical copy, shop official merchandise or explore the complete lyrics.
Digital Album
Stream the complete album and purchase the official digital release directly through Bandcamp.
Open BandcampPhysical Format
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Order the CDAlbum Bundle
Get the official premium album shirt together with the digital edition of The Trial of a Species.
Shop the BundleWords & Worldbuilding
Follow the charges, exhibits, arguments and verdict in the official album lyrics.
Read the LyricsPress · Radio · Reviewers · Listeners
Explore the electronic press kit, production process, complete Death by Design FL catalog and direct contact information for professional or listener inquiries.
Direct answers about the concept, HumanOS, track count, release date, streaming, purchase formats and official videos.
The album follows a post-human tribunal convened to judge humanity and HumanOS through thirteen tracks structured as a docket, charges, exhibits, a closing argument, a verdict and a denied appeal.
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.
The Trial of a Species was released worldwide on July 28, 2026.
The album contains thirteen tracks and has a total running time of 60 minutes and 49 seconds.
The album is cinematic technical death metal, combining deep guttural vocals, technical riffs, complex bass, extreme percussion, industrial textures and science-fiction worldbuilding.
The album is available through major streaming platforms and Bandcamp. Physical CDs, digital purchases and official album merchandise are also available through Death by Design FL.
Yes. Count IV: War as Commerce has an official lyric video on the Death by Design FL YouTube channel.
Verdict: Obsolete features guest vocals from David Robin Sicher-Ford.