Cognizance
Illusory – E.P.
Out 8-26-2016
VOCALS – HENRY ‘BIG MAC’ PRYCE
GUITARS – ALEX ‘THE APEX’ BAILLIE
BASS – PHIL ‘THE ROMANTIC’ ARCHBOLD
DRUMS – DAVID ‘EURO STALLION ‘ DIEPOLD
- Visceral Doubt
This is a great introductory track to this spectacular E.P. It begins with background sounds of tranquility, and a pleasantly melodic guitar melody that fades in with distortion and around the same time, the drums come in with a series of fills that really helps to build the song up. Then right around the :58 second mark they take things to the next level with vocals coming in, a killer driving guitar riff, and a whirlwind of blast beats. I must admit I was a little surprised when I saw the length of the song is only two minutes and two seconds long, with the first minute being a melodic introduction, but they really pack the song with elements of melodic metal and technical death metal.
- Amputated From Actuality
This begins as the first track is fading out this song fades in but right from the get go you have some fast drumming and a killer guitar sound to welcome the listener. The song has a solid tempo, it has the drive to get you energized by the music. I really thoroughly enjoy the guitar tone and the riffs this song. Everything comes together, the guitars are complimenting the drums, the vocals are a force all on their own, and then the chorus is damned contagious. It is catchy and grips you, you can’t help the feeling of joining in during the chorus sections. This song is exactly what you’d expect from Cognizance. Melodic, technical, and impressive, because the song actually feels like it is longer than only four and a half minutes long. They pack so much into this song that you are hooked and you don’t want it to end.
- Choking on the Sands
This song is a slower song than the previous track, but is rock solid. The song has a driving rhythm, and that’s something I have come to expect from these guys. They are playing songs that like an engine just keeps going. It has a driving force that gets the listener going, and they add in things like the guitar solos at the one minute and two minute mark. I really dig the vocals, as they have this hollow sound to them, a low gravely hollow sound. Flash forward to the :12 mark when they have less than a minute remaining and hit us with a fucking cool groove that will leave you head banging and ready for anything.
- Secondary Volition
The song has some atmospheric sounds in the background as a guitar fades in with a melodic solo performance. This is an instrumental track but it has the Cognizance flavor, it’s not like an instrumental that sounds nothing like the rest of the album. This song fits, literally anywhere on this E.P. The sound of the song matches all the other songs, it’s just the mellower refined side of Cognizance and also give us the nod that the next song is going to kick ass.
- Spectrum
The beginning of this song sounds pretty badass, it starts out with a 120BPM feel with a cool groove. They give you about fifteen seconds of that section before they kick things into double time. Which is roughly the same time when the vocals join in, and then David kicks things into high gear with his rugged drumming, only to progress to delivering the blast beats. Right around the 1:45 mark the song changes things up and hits us with a slower roll of heavy groove. They really know how to build a song up and then deliver on it. Every change they make, does not disappoint. The guitar solo at the 2:47 mark is a perfect example, the tempo may have decreased, but the sound of that guitar really cuts into you. It’s a simple, yet so effective, the sound has soul in it. I know people want a shred fest blur of fingers moving all over the fret board, but a simple, solid, and soulful solo will have a lasting impact on the song and the listener.
This E.P. is awesome, I love it, for the few who have heard of this E.P. well the hype is absolutely real. The really had a laser focus on writing this album, because I just didn’t catch any flaws. There isn’t a single moment of any song I didn’t care for. This E.P. delivers some great melodic tech death for an incredible price. I am a sucker for physical copies of music, but you can’t pass on the price the digital E.P. is available for. Everything about this album is very appealing to me, the guitars have great sound, the vocals are tight, and the drums have surgically precise timing and execution. This E.P. earns this 9/10 \m/ rating.
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-Badger \m/
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