Category: Melodic

Spectrum Of Delusion- Esoteric Entity – Album review- 9.2/10 \m/

on By

Spectrum of Delusion

a0175080640_10

Esoteric Entity

Released 08/18/2017

 

Tracklist:
Intro     
Beyond Affliction
Dead Weight
Illuminate Eradicate
Reverie
Ruler of Cruel
Unborn Tragedy
Mixotrophy
Timelines

 

Grouppicture_RGB_no_Logo.jpg

Lineup

Douwe Negenman – Vocals
Nathan Bonkerk – Lead Guitar
Frank van Rijswijk – Rhythm Guitar
Jerry Kamer – Bass Guitar
Jeroen Mostert – Drums

Hey there everyone,  today I bring you the Netherland based technical death metal team Spectrum of Delusion and their recently released album Esoteric Entity.

Forged in 2013 by drummer Jeroen  and Nathan they built the band up from performing covers until Frank joined and then they began their journey into creating killer music. Now the interesting part of all this is they actually had another album written and ready back in 2014 however after reviewing everything they scrapped it because it didn’t adhere to their level of acceptable standards and their sound. A whole album with seven string guitars and a five string bass, scrapped because it wasn’t true to their core.  They set off to create something more pure to their sound and decided to put a fretless in the hands of Jerry and upon that brilliant idea, Douwe joined and everything came together to  get Esoteric Entity finished. This is the debut Album of Dutch Technical Deathmetal band Spectrum of Delusion.

The intro will take you for a melodic stroll into the music with very slight progression, and the only hint they give you is the bass only seconds before the intro ends and “Beyond Affliction” begins.  I am really digging the levels of all the instruments especially the bass.  It is right there and not hiding behind anyone; they deliver a nice simple guitar solo around the thirty-second mark before jumping into the verse with a blasting rhythm from the drums.  Damn this track is awesome, melodic, technical and has a great mix to it, what a great song to start the album with.  It really hooks the listener, especially with the bass, these guys did a killer job on this album.

Dead Weight

This track has a nice build up period lasting just shy of sixty seconds, but I really get hooked by their melodic and captivating sections with the instruments before the first verse begins.  The verse seems to sink the hooks in further.  They keep the song length around four and a half minutes long but I would say about two minutes of that is music without vocals. Nothing wrong with that though, showcasing the talent of all the musicians in the band is a great way to flex their muscles and give listeners like myself a solid idea of what we are working with here.

Illuminate, Eradicate

It has a much quicker set up, not much build up or progression before the first verse however they simply get right down to business this is one of my favorite tracks off the album, and yet it has some of the least instrumental sections of the album.  The song as a whole is very catchy, and the ability to really hear the bass is what draws me in the most.  Spectrum of Delusion is not one of those bands that has a killer guitarist, a drummer that can keep up and then the rest of the guys just fill in the blanks. No, each and every member of this band has talent worth the attention they get.  This song clocks in less than three minutes in length, but damn does it pack a mean punch.  I do wish it had a little more instrumental time however this is such an efficient track I respect the fact that they are able to hook me without the same tools as the previous tracks.  This is a track that has no filler, catchy with some tasty riffs, and still has a bit of a wow factor.

 

Reverie

This one seems to pick up almost the way Illuminate ends, it’s almost like “Reverie” should be a part of illuminate, it just follows up Illuminate so well. Tempo is nearly the same unit the first vocals are heard.  They slow the speed down for dramatic effect, and I find it to be effective right around the 1:36 mark Douwe adds another layer to that slowed down section, really emphasizing the vocals being held long.  This song is one of those songs where typically I hear it’s not as fast as the previous track. My mind begins to wander thinking that the song will just not keep my attention for long. That isn’t the case with this song, I did need to listen to it for a few spins. But the slowed down section grew on me, and it was all because of the vocals.  I went into this track not enjoying it as much, and then let it grow on me, and now I enjoy this song in a different light.

 

Ruler of Cruel

This song has a bit of an ominous buildup, but right around the :09 mark you can hear the bass hit a high note. And delivers two bars of that bass note, a few vocals and then back to that bass note. Jerry Kamer has taken my expectations of this album to a new level, but it’s the saxophone that has piqued my interest now.  Not many bands can pull off a cool album or a cool song and then also incorporate a saxophone into it and maintain the same level of heaviness. Cephalic Carnage, and WRVTH have been able to pull it off. But Spectrum takes things to a different level with the sound of the bass, then the saxophone and a jazzed up section in the middle of a heavy track.  Damn kudos to the guys for pulling it off and then also to Erwin Van Wieringen for playing the saxophone.  Which brings me to another item, session musicians don’t have to be guitarists or drummers they can be saxophonists that add another spicy level to some badass music.

 

Unborn Tragedy

This song really unearthed similarities to bands like Beyond Creation, and Necrophagist and I find myself really impressed by this album.  This song starts out slower than the others, and it has a bass filled melodic introduction that sets up the base layer of the song, and when that bass fades out the next section is up tempo and builds up that next layer in which the vocals are going to start, with a faster energy and a heavier attack.  The tempo changes several times in the song, and yet each transition is very fluid.  There is one section of the song I am not 100% sure I dig it or not.  But halfway through the song they have a section that is a bit repetitive and while it’s not sloppy, it’s not hooking me either. The saving grace for this track  is the drums and the bass.

 

Mixotrophy

The song begins with a quick set of blasts, and then a heavy bass line with a guitar over that making some sweet melodic build up. When the vocals start in, shit has gotten real at this point. The song heads into a fast paced tech death barrage of blasts and just when you have succumbed to that catchy section, they change time and direction slightly.  I am not sure what impresses me the most about this album, there are too many things to list. But I find with some bands too many changes can ruin it for the listener.  We want to be pulled in and stay with the song the whole time.  But with this track the changes are so subtle that they just flow into each other with very little set up for each transition.  They just flow right through the song.  from 3:10 to about 3:49 there are no vocals but a killer instrumental section. I love these instrumental sections Spectrum have added to some of the songs.  I find I enjoy these moments so much because the instruments all blend in well, there is no overshadowing, every instrument is clear, and it adds to the quality of the music.

 

Timelines

This is a great follow-up to Mixotrophy, because of the seamless transition from one track to the next.  This is really the only track I can say has some chugging coming from the guitars, the tone is a bit darker sounding to me, but the actual pace of the song and intensity is right around the same level. But I really absolutely dig the part at the :52 mark, where the vocals have an old school style to their delivery for just a few lines before the blast beats begin. The head movement starts to kick in and you are already hooked by the 1:10 mark. And the song has really only just gotten started. This track is the longest running track on the album but only by a second. The reason I bring that up is because there is so much packed into this song, and it really could have gone on longer. But Spectrum takes the last forty seconds of the song to finish the song out, but at the 5:15 mark they kick off a guitar solo and then fade out. Really leaving me wanting more to come out of my speakers.

 

 

All in all, this album kicks ass, this was my first time hearing Spectrum of Delusion, and I am glad I did. They remind me of a mix between Beyond Creation, Virvum, and Necrophagist.  A truly nice blend of melodic, yet technical/progressive death metal.

This album is great, the production, the balance of instruments to each other as well as the vocals. These guys don’t make up a band, they make up a team. A team that come together and don’t have any one member pulling the most weight through sound and musicianship. The intro track does a solid job getting the listener warmed up and then everything after flows perfectly.  This is an album you can hit play and leave all the controls alone.  Push play, listen, rock out, repeat.  The production of this album is well beyond expectations considering what these guys are asking for in price. Because who doesn’t have two dollars to spare for nine tracks ( eight and an introduction track)? I am digging this album, and I will be keeping my eye out for more from this badass bunch.  9.2/10 \m/

 

Check out the links below

https://www.instagram.com/spectrumofdelusion

https://spectrumofdelusion.bandcamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/SpectrumofDelusion

https://www.facebook.com/SpectrumofDelusion

 

-Badger \m/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

Inanimate Existance- Underneath a Melting Sky- Album Review – 9.9/10 \m/

on By

Hey guys, got an early album review for you! One we are all super  stoked for ,and that I have already pre ordered…
That’s right, the brand new Inanimate Existence album ‘Underneath A Melting Sky’ which comes out this Friday, August 25th!

 

a3042378467_10.jpg

Inanimate Existence line up:

Cameron Porras – Guitar & Vocals,

Scott Bradley – Bass & Vocals,

Ron Casey – Drums

Barely a year after Inanimate Existence’s 3rd album ‘Calling From A Dream’ was released, they unleash their The Artisan Era debut. This is also their first release as a 3 piece and damn, Inanimate Existence is not fucking around. They explore new horizons with each release and they seem to absolutely master each new direction they take. This album combines the dark brutality of ‘Liberation Through Hearing‘ as well as the fantastical soundscapes and atmosphere of ‘A Never-Ending Cycle Of Atonement‘. This is a very different album from its predecessor (I personally really enjoyed ‘Calling From A Dream‘).

There is plenty of apparent keyboards and synth that is mixed in perfectly. The synth is done very different than ‘Calling From A Dream‘. Here there are several different tones used throughout and some really fantastic melodies as well. The vibe created this time is entirely different and rather epic. The guitar leads are immaculately written and just soar with the music, and if you thought you liked the bass tone and work in ANECOA, wait until you hear this! Tracks like Forever To Burn, The Old Man in the Meadow, and The Djinn will blow you away! The riffs and overall songwriting is phenomenal here though. The riffs are some of the catchiest in the Death Metal subgenres that I’ve ever heard, and the quality doesn’t drop for a second. There is no lame filler riffs and it all flows really damn well.
There are also some deadly grooves in this album. The title track, In Moonlight I Am Reborn, Blood Of the Beggar & Formula Of Spores all have outstanding groovy parts that will have you keep coming back and will be irresistibly stuck in your head. They leave you no choice but to get right into the music.

Ron’s drumming is completely insane as per usual. I particularly like the grooves he lays out on this album. Super creative with excellent cymbal work. It fits the guitar amazingly and the listener can easily got lost in his sick tightness and creativity. His cymbal and ride and hi hat work in particular just mesmerize me.

Every song is simply outstanding and completely unique. Not only this, but the album flows song to song absolutely perfectly. This album is an absolute masterpiece. Add the amazingly well thought out story behind the albums lyrics and the quite possibly best art I have ever seen to coincide with them, Inanimate Existence has the full package right now. This album is everything they need to solidify their name on some of the sickest tours and get the respect a hard working band like them deserves. Absolute album of the year contender!
There’s still time to pre-order the album!

For fans of The Zenith Passage, Decrepit Birth, Soreption, Virvum, Arkaik

9.9/10 \m/

Music and Lyrics by Cameron Porras
Engineered, Mixed and Masted by Zack Ohren at
Shark Bite Studios in Oakland, CA
Artwork by Justin Abraham

Formula Of Spores

Forever To Burn

LINKS

https://theartisanera.bandcamp.com/album/underneath-a-melting-sky
https://www.facebook.com/TheInanimateExistence/
http://www.theartisanera.com/products
https://www.youtube.com/user/InanimateExistenceUS 

Check out their new singles here

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheArtisanEra

-Brett /,,/(°o°)/,,/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

Godeater- Outerstellar- E.P. review 9.3/10 \m/

on By

Godeater

Outerstellar

a3665160051_10.jpg
Released: May 31st, 2017

Godeater line up:

Josh Graham – Vocals

Ross Beagan – Guitar, engineering, composing

Andrew Macdonald – Guitar

Will Keogh – Bass

Allan MacDonald – Drums, engineering

The EP begins with an ominous build up. A drum fill begins the music in “The Silent Prophecy” and takes us into the high paced and catchy riffage with powerful and heavy vocals. Not too brutal, but deep for sure. They beat us apart for the first fifty seconds until we get our first taste of real melody, (besides the touches used in the riffing). Then really nice soaring lead. We get brought back into the catchy fast paced riffage. About a third of the way through the song we get some more really nice melodic touches over the riffs. The vocals seem to go along with the music really well. As this lead part with vocals ends, we get somewhat of an interlude like section, that is spacey and ambient. Slowly they build back up starting with the bass and then a pick scrape into the slower heavy riff. This section is quite dark. It feels brooding, and it flows into the next, brief faster section really well. As that section ends we get another interlude section similar to the one in the middle of the song but it begins with an acoustic guitar. It is a nice way to end the song and also flows perfectly into track 2.

“Ethereal Majesty” begins with an almost white noise building up type ambiance with some more sounds that really remind me of Nomatic era Fallujah. Just after a minute they begin this riffage. It also begins brooding and slower, there is a doomy vibe almost. The vocals are killer and heavy as fuck here, then a nice pause into a sick good paced riff. The drums are constantly switching it up and really keep this section’s pulse. They briefly pause and transition with what sounds like some sitar and go into a slammy riff/ tremolo back and forth riff and the drums continue to switch it up and keep us on our toes. They slightly simplify it near the middle, but not for the worse, its pretty groovy and catchy, right before they pick it up to full force briefly again. This is indeed brief as they fade down to a drawn out chordy part with a really lovely lead, into an almost blackened chordy part with equally almost blackened vocals into – WOAH –  definitely a breakdown. They just morphe so many genres and totally killed it. The breakdown does do the classic ‘more dirty’ part and then they nicely flow into a prefectly head bobbing riff to end the song. They slow it ever so naturally and open fade into the last song ending perfectly.
“The Nebulon Abhorrency” begins a lot sooner than the others. The open fade soon brings some synth and eerie screams. They make us know some change is coming and begin the high paced and catchy verses. There is some sick melodic double picking riffage going on! I absolutely love it. This song seems to have the most notable synth though it is in every song. This one has almost synth leads at times. After one synth lead part over a cool riff we have a sweet groove! They then slowly let it breath with more synth and then totally melt our faces with fast technical ridding and powerful in your face vocals. The drums have some wicked blasts and are coming at a good pace with the blasts and thrash beats. There is also some really killer guitar fills in that section. They then slow it down to a more doomy vibe once more before the end. Fast double kick and powerful slow riffing which fades into synth that takes us to a close.

Godeater has made a strong impact with these three songs. They are catchy and well structured and have enjoyable production. I can tell there is room to grow but I have no quarrels with this EP whatsoever.

For fans of Fallujah, Bleak Flesh, The Odious Construct, TETHYS, Vale of Pnath

9.3/10 \m/

LINKS:

CLICK THEM \m/
https://www.facebook.com/godeateruk
https://godeateruk.bandcamp.com/album/outerstellar  

http://godeateruk.bigcartel.com

 

 -Brett /,,/(°o°)/,,/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

https://twitter.com/Bmetalbreakdown
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

Apotheon- Mechanically Consumed-E.P. Review- 9.3/10 \m/

on By

Apotheon

Mechanically Consumed

1 - Front Cover.jpg

Andrew Morris – Drums
Fernando del Valle III – Guitar
Ibrahim Jimenez – Bass
Reece Deeter – Vocals

Ian Burnside – Guitars

Releases on June 22nd, 2017

 

Premonition

This song begins in an epic sounding way. This is something you put on right before you are ready to start something big, whether it be weight lifting, sparring for boxing or another martial art, to just getting yourself in an amped up mood and ready to attack all obstacles that life will throw at you. If there was going to be entrance music for someone and they wanted to be able to effortlessly project their attitude without a single word expressed. This track gets this E.P. set up very well and based on what Apotheon have delivered in the past. I can say that without a doubt the songs that follow are going to be erupting with some tasty riffs, and killer blasts.

 

Tyken’s Rift

This song is the song that will make any gamer past or future feel some connection to the music and also vivid scenery. Just wait until the one-minute mark where you will understand the last statement and then you will be immersed in a world of metal, and video game like imagery.  Now come back to the track titled Premonition, it really jives with this song. Again you get that uplifting and melodic style form the music and also creates a perception of imagery, scenery, and a different dimension or world. I feel as though Reece is hitting a lower range than on the previous songs but then again. I keep getting wrapped up in what sort of imagery you get while listening to this song and having the dialogue at the 1:09 that sounds straight out of a game.  Apotheon are taking the metal making game to some new levels as they are creating music that is not only heavy and addicting but also energizing and spawn images from words and musical notes. However as great as this song is, I know that my favorite track is about to follow.

 

 

Mechanically Consumed

This song begins quietly with a really a subtle amount of notes being played almost at random, before a stringed instrument like a cello lays down what one might expect from an old movie, a horror or thriller to be exact. But then the drums and the distortion begins and the pace of the song goes into high speed.  This song is my favorite off the E.P. in my opinion this is the heaviest track, it has the most jarring riffs, and the vocals are on point.  The hardest part for me is to narrow down what section I like the most, which part of the song gets me the most amped up and excited to listen.  The whole song has that effect on me. For example, right around the 1:43 mark the guitars and drums set up a badass section that is contagious. And it hits right before a solo, the vocals give way for the guitar solo, but only for so long before they are layered over the solo and really add to the reasons why I love it.  Now if that was it I’d say you have a solid track, but it’s not. Because right around the 2:50 mark they slow things down to an almost sideshow or circus sounding section.  Under most circumstances I would have heard this and thought “gimmicks” or “ yea why did they do that, it doesn’t even sound right with the song” but I can’t say that in this situation. It works, it sounds odd, and if they started or ended the song with it, it would have been a flop. But its smack dab in the middle of the most badass song on this E.P. and you haven’t even gotten to the second solo of the song. And this song is minutes less than the previous two tracks.  Apotheon have again packed so much into the song it’s almost unbelievable that they managed to make another killer E.P.

 

The Flesh Machine

All you need to know about this song, is that  some things should be left to mystery,  I typically will not breakdown the last song on an E.P. only because there aren’t that many songs and I want at least one song to be a little bit of a mystery. I just can’t find it in me to do that for this one. It is just too damn good.

The song begins with a subtle progression of the guitar playing a riff that’s panned from left to right while the drums are playing a jazzed up beat to go along with the guitars, while the bass is holding things down. A keyboard strikes a note at the :18 second mark and continues playing with the other instruments. leading up right at the :44 second mark Reece slices through all that buildup with a growl that sets up his next few lines perfectly.  Right around the 1:14 mark they have a section of solid riffing before the next verse. I’m beginning to have conflicting thoughts on which song I like more “Mechanically Consumed” or this one. Right at the 2:43 mark the song takes a deep dive into an uplifting and euphoric section that lasts just shy of a minute and then the vocals attack again. At what is roughly the 3:50 mark, the listener begins to become activated by the music.  Whatever you may be doing at this moment in time, whether it be driving, walking down the street, rocking out in your room, or getting your jam on at the office. This is where you lose all of your collective shit and fucking throw some haymakers, air guitar or air drums and rock the fuck out. I dare anyone who listens to this E.P. to not get ready to take on the world when this song reaches this point. As they come out of one of the most badass moments on this, Ian pulls off a whirlwind of a guitar solo. There is no better way to put it, this song wraps everything up brilliantly.

 

 

 

This E.P. is an awesome little banger to be dropping at the beginning of this summer like this. There is soooo much killer music coming out in 2017, but summertime is the time of year where I look forward to killer tunes and having speakers blasting  with the windows rolled down. This E.P. follows their 2016 E.P. titled The Acension (which gathered attention among Facebook groups following the Technical metal and deathcore scene) and then also the single Tyken’s Rift from January. Apotheon are making a name for themselves, and in a very short amount of time I might add. I am very pleased with this E.P. and has been some solid music to listen to while working on projects. While the E.P. is great I must admit, I have been listening to the advance copy, including instrumental tracks.  Whether or not the guys decide to release this with the instrumental versions or not, my recommendation would be to do it. The music is so damn good. An amalgamated blend of equal parts technical, melodic, and and heavy.  I strongly suggest anyone and everyone who is looking for something new to jam to this summer. Get yourselves over to their bandcamp page and get your copy ordered up because this drops on Friday. 9.3/10 \m/
****UPDATE****

I had to find out about the instrumental versions and I cant tell you how happy I was to hear from Fernando that they will be releasing an instrumental version of this E.P. as well.

“On streaming sites (Spotify being one of them) will have the ep + the instrumental tracks. Bandcamp will be vocal and instrumental versions sold separate.”  “Going forward we will always be offering instrumental mixes. We love the offering, and while we love our vocalist and what he brings to table, we also write this music without vocals considered! And as fans of instrumental music ourselves, it’s always cool to hear A different version of a song!”

So there you have it, there will be instrumental versions available. Now imagine how many,  videos can be made by people doing vocal or other instrument playthrough covers over the instrumental copies. I think Apotheons view on instrumental versions is a brilliant idea.  Metal fans, and metal bands, lets make that a thing shall we?

 

Check out these links for Apotheon:

Apotheon’s Website- https://apotheonband.wixsite.com/apotheon Click it, you know you want to see what happens

 

Apotheon on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ApotheonBand/ Go on show them some love, and like their Facebook page

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

Tethys- Whispers Of Creation

on By

Alright guys! The new Tethys EP “Whispers Of Creation” comes out tomorrow! Get hyped! This is some of the best tunes I have heard all year so far!

17626241_1616485585035780_2996190909957288848_n

Band line up –

Stevie Bosier – Vocals

Quinn Broderick – Guitar, Clean Vocals & Backing Screams (live)

Cory Medina – Guitar

Shea Broderick – Drums & Piano

Sev Rivera – Bass

Their songs are exciting and very upbeat. After an ominous but interesting sound clip about a supernova, ‘creation itself’, they go into an absolutely punishing series of melodic and technical riff mastery, with some killer groove throw in for good measure. The songs have an amazing flow to them as well. Some bands using groove riffing can get stale but these guys mix them with amazing and catchy technical riffing as well as excellent transitions and nice chordy parts and killer leads. Let me repeat that KILLLLER leads. With an amazing, heart piercing tone. Their grooves are catchy and not generic either. The guitars seem to weave between playing a completely different rhythm lead scheme in and out of excellent riffing with great harmonies as well and sweet grooves that can be accompanied by wicked leads as well. Both of the guitarists solo and both write some absolutely soul touching leads.

Quinn’s solos are the beautiful melodic, artsy ones and they hit RIGHT in the feels. Quinn definitely has a beautiful legato esque tapping technique that he likes to use in the middle of his solos. Fuck is it ever beautiful! Not to take away from Cory’s solos either. The dude absolutely shreds! And his solos are definitely really creative and have their totally epic moments too, the ending of his solo in “Etheral Cypher” has some killer feel, and the way they so fluently switch who is soloing mid-section, sounds amazing and flawless.

In “Progenitor Of Thought”, Quinn and Cory’s solos are separated by a brief and precise stop, powerfully welcomed into Cory’s face melting start along with a piercing scream by Stevie which compliments it perfectly, and builds up to a crazy sweet arpeggio section with a sick riff behind it too! That rhythm solo combination is so damn good! While Quinn’s solo prior to is just super melodic and perfectly written. Some killer ascending runs and arpeggios and then he blesses us with some more of that eargasmic tapping of his into a nice harmonic ending.
“Memoirs Of The Wanderor” is loaded with sweet grooves, they also give the bass the most time to shine in this song by toning down the ante in the middle section a bit. It is a nice moment for the song to breath and the music to diversify. This song also has some of the heaviest moments by far, and really cool alternating of back and forth lead playing over the grooves. Cory also gives us a super sick solo here which starts out really like a melodic lead and progresses nicely then finishing super epic with some nice slight whammy work.

“Astral Transcendence” is an amazing track. The riffs are exciting and there are lots of excellent little leads, with a beautiful tone. Quinn’s lead in Astral Transcendence, that he brings back (thankfully) later in the song, is just out of this world. He finishes the lead and goes into an incredibly catchy solo that hits in the feels hard. The second time he brings it back with a fucking amazing solo before it the second time and goes into vocals. Literally almost brought tears to my eyes. Definitely gave me fucking goose bumps. Only 2 other solos have ever done that to me, “Jealousy” by Death, my favorite solo ever and “Dedication To A Dead Cause” by Bloodshot Dawn, my second favorite solo of all time. Where does that put this sexy piece of magic? Congrats Quinn and Tethys I’m a huge fucking fanboy now. Fan for life. Like I mean really, it is soaring and just unreal feeling! One of the most epic leads I have heard in a long damn time! This goes into a really nice singing part by Quinn when the lead finishes. Oh, the beauty isn’t over, Cory comes in after with a super catchy and triumphant solo to end the EP with super strong momentum.

Sev’s bass totally adds to the punch too. At times the guitars will be harmonizing and the bass will hold down the riff or groove. It works really well. There are great moments of this in “Etheral Cypher” and “Memoirs Of The Wanderor” for sure. The bass has some nice distinct parts in “Etheral Cypher” just after a minute and a half in the song. He has really nice bass lines during the solo section. Again near the end he stands out quite a bit with the fills. At about 1:10 in “Progenitor Of Thought” they kind of soften it up for a brief bit, it flows so well and the bass has some really cool stand out parts during this section. Again after the first clean vocal section at about 2:35 they tone it down and let the bass shine.
There are other powerful moments as well as he just has a really good tone and fits the songs completely.
“Memoirs Of The Wanderor” is definitely the most stand out Bass track for sure. The whole song he just seems more distinct, and then middle section, it is loaded with cool bass lines that keep it very captivating.

This is one of my favorite vocal performances I have ever heard without a doubt. Stevie’s tone, range, delivery and articulation / enunciation of the words is beyond phenomenal. The way he matches the syllable rhythm of his words with the riffs is so excellent and clearly very well thought out. Not only that, but these lyrics are damn awesome to boot.

We enter the music of “Etheral Cypher” with a piercing scream and then he really shows what he can do for the first few verses. Sick timing, killer range and an amazing tone! He uses some really grizzly lows at times as well. The range displayed in this song is phenomenal. I love how he matches the vocal rhythms with the riffage too.
No beating around the bush. That whole song is just so deadly. Piercing highs, ridiculous enunciation. Super badass lows and a wicked range in this song. It just sounds amazing!
In “Memoirs Of The Wanderor” he uses a lot of powerful lows with wicked high accents and some cool layering. His delivery is timed perfectly with the music, especially in the groovy sections.

Quinn also offers up some excellent and fitting cleans in “Progenitor Of Thought” and “Astral Transcendence”. His vocals sound majestic and are smooth and powerful. And IN KEY! Overall they are great, they actually really add to the enjoyment of the songs, a lot.
While Stevie has some fantastic low mid vocals that are just bursting with power. He displays an amazing and tasteful use of range and tone on this EP but the vocals in “Astral Transcendence” are extremely powerful to me. The tone is just so awesome and passionate. I can feel it. But he switches the range a good amount in that song too. Some nice highs and lower lows used when needed. This guy has serious pipes. Watch the live set linked at the bottom to see for yourself. “WE ALL RETURN TO THE STARS FROM WHICH WE CAME”. Awesome.

The drums are killer. Some absolutely face-melting kick sections. The drums through the start of the album are consistently impressive and just punishing. Sweet blasting, and also good use of thrashy beats in a more tech Death setting. Killer groove and nuts kick all over. “Progenitor Of Thought” has some fairly brief but totally insane kick parts. When he isn’t melting our faces, he’s blowing our mind with creativity. He brings them back though, and also progresses with his beats a lot! “Memoirs Of The Wanderor” also has some really sweet kick patterns being used and great fills too. The performance is constantly interesting. Also some really excellent cymbal work on the album. He always keeps the flow of the songs perfect, and generally has a very upbeat and exciting pace to his playing. When it is less upbeat, he always makes it flow right. The third song “Memoirs Of The Wanderor” and the final song, “Astral Transcendence”, starts with a synth part, written by Shea I believe. In “Astral Transcendence”, it transitions smoothly into a great, kind of Thrashy section with really nice ride parts. Then into a sick groovy section. From here he generally keeps a good momentum for the majority of the song, keeping it uplifting and interesting, while going back to a deadly groovy while the sexy lead starts.

I am so excited about this EP, this band definitely has a bright future. They have the makings to be one of the best bands in all of Death Metal. Everything about them screams top quality. Their amazing tone. Their creativity and excellent songwriting. The fact that this is one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard. I mean, this can’t be just me? This guy is damn unreal! This band is unreal! And super sick live based on the set I watched about 10 times lol.

“I THINK; THEREFORE I AM”

For fans of Alustrium, Bleak Flesh, Vale Of Pnath, Black Crown Initiate, Equipoise

9.9/10 \m/

 

LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/Tethysband/
https://tethys1.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLMHOavPIUGai1UC3lN8pw

PROGENTOR OF THOUGHT LYRIC VIDEO

FULL LIVE SET (pretty qood quality)

 

-Brett /,,/(°o°)/,,/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

Bleak Flesh- Overcoming Reality 9.5/10 \m/

on By 1 Comment

Hi guys! I am honored and extremely stoked to bring you my review for the brand new release from my Chilean brothers in Bleak Flesh!

First, let’s look at a bio of the band…

14468343_1171799906210199_886494677457650113_o

Formed in 2004 in Santiago de Chile by Matias Quiroz under a different name. By 2009 the project had evolved to what is Bleak Flesh. Soon after, bassist Enrique Carvajal joined ranks. By 2012, talented drummer Sebastián Vidal had joined the ranks and they had recorded some demos which would later be released on a compilation in 2015 called “A Glimpse from the Past: The Unreleased Demo Collection”. In 2013 the band was complete with addition of Nicolas Martinez on guitar and Paulo Carcamo on lead vocals. The band would the release their 2013 debut EP, THE GATEWAY, presenting an interesting mix of genres like technical and melodic death metal with progressive touches and nice synth mixed in. In 2014 Bleak Flesh released their first full length album called TRANSCENDENCE. The album got great reviews from fans and critics alike and I even reviewed it a while back! The CD’s even sold out! This EP should be highly anticipated based on the great response Transcendence got, not to mention the brand new vocalist. On January 1st 2016 Radial Velocity came out as the first song recorded with Ngen Kerruff on vocals, being the first single for the new OVERCOMING REALITY EP. On December 19th 2016 they released the second single for the EP, The Spectral Path, along with a sweet music video.

Order or stream their new EP here:
https://bleakflesh.bandcamp.com/…/overcoming-reality-ep-2017

Their music is extremely well rounded within seamlessly molding different subgenres together. Not the same way Cyborg Octopus does, but these guys are still completely unique. They mix Progressive Metal with synths, Technical Death Metal, Djenty and other groovy and sometimes funky riffs, melodic Death Metal and more!

Line up for Overcoming Reality and current line up – Matías Quiroz – Lead Guitar, Enrique Carvajal – Bass, Sebastián Andrés Vidal Romero – Drums, Ngen Kerruff – Vocals

The vocals are powerful and have a great tone. His delivery isn’t quite as enunciated as their previous vocalist Paulo, however he makes up for it by having a really excellent tone and range. He does have enjoyable delivery as well and a wide range. He can go from gutturally low, which he only does on occasion, to a powerful, almost Polish DM sounding mid low and some soaring awesome highs which are also kind of dark and intense. They remind me of the blackened highs heard in Slugdge. Though overall, the bands are very different, they are both slightly experimental and incorporate similar vocal traits at times.
There is still clean vocals on this EP, like their previous work, but it is different and it isn’t coming off forced. That being said, no vocoder. Which I am OK with because I don’t really like vocoder and their previous work war the only use of vocoder I have ever managed to enjoy in any band. In fact the clean vocals in songs like Overcoming reality, where the cleans come in right away, before they even proceed to get brutal, and Sunshine, which has some great epic but totally add to the overall vibe and epic-ness of the songs. Sunshine by far has the most cleans and I think they are really fitting. It also has some great riffs and beats and grooves. The cleans remind me of the cleans that Cyborg Octopus lays out in their Neo-classical influenced song, Divine Right (In D Minor). I personally like them a lot.

The bass work sounds great! The opening and title track, Overcoming Reality has some sweet bass lines, especially during the parts with prominent synth. It sounds like there are some cool slapped bass licks and fills.
Expanding the Existence has an excellent bass solo when it mellows out and then goes in to a beautiful guitar solo section. They mellow it out the first time and he plays a great bass line and then they go to a nice upbeat riff for a bit and mellow it back down to the amazing solo sections.

The guitar is very enjoyable as well. Matiaz is an amazing player who can create beastly riffs and beautiful solos. The riffs are exciting and very upbeat. Expanding the Existence has some super catchy and quite intricate riffs and that absolutely lovely solo mentioned before after with wicked bass sections. Galactic Monolith is a great and varied song. Several awesome grooves and lots of really wicked fast parts too. I particularly love the little melodic lead near the end of the song!

The instrumental track, The Dawn of the Ancient Realms, is simply outstanding!

They soften it down at just before 2:00 and the bass has some totally awesome lines, then they go into a rather freely and super epic solo, into a sick groove with more awesome bass! This then leads into another fantastic solo! Love the tone too! The riffs are extremely exciting and quick with really blistering drums, though he has great feel when they need to let the song breathe too. The synth is pretty prominent through most of this song and it is used well. It fades out with a kind of tribal feel.

The guitar solo in Radial Velocity, which was one of the first singles for the album, released last year, is absolutely amazing. It is fairly lengthy and goes through several different ‘sections’ and is extremely well written. The solo section in the more recent single they released at the beginning of this year is out if this world as well. The Spectral Path has all sorts of incredibly catchy riffs, wicked intense drums and roaring and soaring vocals. But that solo is just absolutely fabulous!

The drums are killer. Great beats and mix. The cymbals sound great as is but when the synth is going, it is mixed really well too. The frequencies add a really nice angelic feel. He sometimes tastefully incorporates gravity blasts as well. Such as in Galactic Monolith, which also has some wicked groove at times and some excellent fast double pick and ride beats that I lust love. And also such as in Spectral Path, which has awesome blistering fast beats that are perfectly placed and not only speed, but excellent feel as they give this song room to breathe several times and every instrument totally plays into making it work, especially the guitar and drums in this song. All sorts of other enjoyable cymbal work as well. not only on that song. The EP is packed with awesome grooves, sweet super fast yet creative beats with lots of great cymbal and especially ride work, and seamless transitions.

It makes me proud to hear this EP. These guys are amazing people and musicians, creating truly unique and inspiring Death Metal. Fans of original and slightly experimental sounds with great melody and groove, this band is for you! The vocals are well ranged and have an exciting delivery and great tone. The drums have incredible speed and excellent beats and fantastic groove and feel when called for. The riffs are creative and very intriguing, with tons of stand out bass through this EP! I strongly urge you to give this a listen! I know this band can have a bright future in this genre if they reach the right amount of fans! It would be a dream come true to see these guys live or play with them some day!

For fans of Atlantis Chronicles, Between The Buried And Me, Dark Matter Secret, Cyborg Octopus, Slugdge, Flub, Black Crown Initiate

9.5/10 \m/

 

LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/bleak.flesh
http://www.bleakflesh.com/
https://bleakflesh.bandcamp.com/…/overcoming-reality-ep-2017
https://www.youtube.com/user/bleakfleshband
https://twitter.com/BleakFlesh

 

 

-Brett /,,/(°o°)/,,/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

The Devil’s Due December 9th, The Devils Of Loudun- “Enduring Creation” review 8/10\m/

on By

The Devils Of Loudun

Enduring Creation

Released April 8, 2016

loudun

The Devils of Loudun is:
Scott Hermanns – Guitars
Drew Tuel – Guitars
Ben Velozo – Keyboards
Vance Bratcher – Vocals
Billy Keller – Drums
LJ Cline – Bass

 

 

Today the Devil has brought his pals The Devils of Loudun to the stage. And we will be checking out their E.P. released back in April.  This is such a surprising E.P.  From Seattle these guys don’t follow the typical Seattle music scene style. (Pearl jam and other 90’s grunge bands) nope these are delivering some seriously suppressed Seattle melo/tech death.  This cool E.P. really flew under many peoples radar, and I’m not entirely sure why that is.  I suppose possible they were overshadowed by a larger mainstream release. But one listen to this E.P. will have you wondering why you haven’t heard them until now.  But take the chorus of the song Thrown to the Void for example. That shit is catchy as hell, and while we are the subject of that song. I will admit this is actually my favorite song off the E.P.  Simply put, that song fucking rips.  The song really delivers the melo-death aspect of this band really putting a lot of emphasis on the keys.  There’s melodic metal bands, and melodic death metal bands, but I am really impressed by the blended styles because these guys really make this sound their own.  Bonus points to Vance because I am a sucker for guttural exclamations, blurts,   spewt( see Ryan Travis for explanation) that retching sound that some vocalists add and it’s like having a drummer who has a cowbell at his set.  It’s just another tool and I fucking dig it.  Adding the keyboards, and the really fucking contagious hooks, these guys have pulled off an amazing feat.  Everything is technically precise like tech death, its heavy as fuck like death metal and the melodic aspect does not soften the blow. If anything, it’s the one two punch these guys pack.  I’m hooked I don’t know about the rest of you, but if you haven’t heard this E.P. yet, get on that. Songs to def. check out are going to be Thrown to the void, Cast The Stone, and Until the night ends. But wait that’s three out of five songs. Well I just figured if I told you to check out those three you would end up checking out the rest, because let’s face it. This E.P. kicks ass, and it’s time to give it a listen. If technical melo-death is something you would be interested in, than this E.P. is for you, 8/10 \m/

 

 

There is also this video they put out for Cast The  Stone

 

Check out their BANDCAMP page to get your copy of this awesome E.P.

 

Also if you like what you hear check out their FACEBOOK page and give them the ol’ thumbs up and stay up to date.

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

The Devil’s Due- December 8th Vale Of Pnath- “II” review- 10/10 \m/

on By

Vale Of Pnath

II

Released June 10, 2016

valeop

Vance Valenzuela – Guitar
Eloy Montes – Guitar
Reece Deeter – Vocals
Eric W. Brown – Drums
Alan Parades – Bass

 

Today the devil has brought us the second album by CO melodic tech death Jedi’s Vale Of Pnath.  If for some reason you missed this album when it came out, or you still haven’t listened to it, then you fucked up.  This album rips, it has a melodic yet technical death metal feel to it, and the use of classical piano as well as organ in the tracks Klendathu and Heart Of Darkness they set the bar high.  There are albums that are great, and then you have albums like this one, from start to finish it fucking kills it. Start with the first track of the album “Blacker Than” which is the most subtle way of the band showing the listener the bar that they are raising right before you. It starts out so mellow and smooth (in comparison to what you will experience later) with the acoustic guitars playing for just shy of half a minute before the guitars go to distortion and the drums come in. But it’s the vocals at the :48 second mark that leave the lasting impression.   I can honestly say that after listening to this album since the summer I am a fan and will be for the foreseeable future.   Now the tricky part is trying to tell you guys why you should check this out, and what songs to listen to. But the fact of the matter is that every track on this fucking holds their own.  It really depends on what your personal tastes are, but just know that Vale deliver the tech in a way that many haven’t done before.  They are incorporating all these different elements together but they pull it off. The talent and the shear amount of craftsmanship that went into making this album is astonishing.  Drums are surgically precise and have a hard attack.  The drums sound great too, but that’s not all, I mean each instrument can be heard and fuck these guys are talented.  But let’s shed some light on points of interest, now for starters I am going to explain probably my favorite part of this album. On the Track “A Nightmare Phantasm” you listen to that track and get to the 1:31 mark and you are going to hear one of the coolest, most bone chilling guitar solos of 2016. It’s short and to the point but man that guitar wails.  This song is my most played track off of the album to begin with, however you still have tracks like “ The Serpents Lair” that track absolutely decimates the feeble listeners who doubt what Vale Of Pnath have in their arsenal.  I would love to tell you the one to three tracks you really should check out but the fact of the matter is, that this album is 100% bad-ass. The talent these musicians have is impressive, and the sound quality and production are in top form. These guys did their homework, they took everything they could from their first album, and improved, they did not disappoint with this album.  It doesn’t happen often but this album is a solid 10/10 \m/ and should be in everyone’s collection who are fans of melodic metal, death metal, tech death and all the sub genres that are spawned from the previous mentioned genres. Vale Of Pnath will be a big name, the proof is in the pudding, and they only have time on their side to keep raising the bar in the same way they have been.

Want to hear what all the hub-bub is about click play below

 

 

Yea now you know why this is a must have, (so if you have a metal head on your Christmas list and don’t know what to get them look no further) and why it got a 10/10 \m/ rating.  The album, plain and simple kicks ass, a whole lot of ass, and it just keeps kicking.  I’m still spinning this album, and I haven’t gotten to a point where I wasn’t amped up when listening to it. And that guitar solo in A Nightmare Phantasm gets me every time.

 

 

Check out their BANDCAMP page and order up your copy of II

 

Also head on over to their FACEBOOK page and give them a like to stay up to date on Vale of Pnath news.

Or Follow them on Twitter if that’s your social media vice of choice.

 

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

Aversed- Renewal (debut) E.P. Review 6.5/10 \m/

on By

Aversed

Renewal

14725586_1308760802491374_395291084101217668_n.jpg

Haydee Irizarry-Lead Vocals
Sungwoo Jeong-Guitar/Vocals
Alden Marchand-Guitar
Martin Epstein-Bass
Jeff Saltzman-Drums

 

 

 

  1. Prison of Existence

This E.P. begins with this melodic and somber introduction that flows for thirty seconds and then the drums come in to set up the vocals. Wow she has a good sound in my opinion, Haydee really harnesses those melodic death metal growls, but has a really smooth voice for the clean singing. Really smooth, like if you heard her singing clean, you would never know she can flip a switch and get down to death metal vocals.   One thing I am really focusing on is the talent of the other musicians in this band.  Often times you find a female vocalist that has a set of lungs that can go on for long periods of clean singing, and then growls that sound so cool, but the rest of the band is so-so.  Not the case here, this group doesn’t get to use the vocals as the selling point of “female vocalist” just to get a targeted fan base. Nope, everything about this song is crisp, every transition they have gone through all the way to the guitar solo at the 4: 11 mark as brief as it is. It was clean and they come back for about 30 seconds to  set up another guitar solo, only this one has a little bit more behind it.  Killer track, and I am really digging the vocals for the last minute of the song.

 

  1. Renewal

I love the simple drum intro, and the guitar riff that follows. It has a great driving rhythm, just gets you moving.  And they take it down a level for the first verse, she brings the volume and tone down. The first lines of vocals are clean, but building Setting things up for the harsh vocals to take over the next lines. The more I listen to this, the more I feel like Aversed is picking up with the melodic metal from the mid to late 90’s and refreshing it.  I mean I can’t be the only one that digs the transition at the :45 second mark.  This is a song you can tap your foot to,  it has a great rhythm, and the tempo matches to make this song a really enjoyable track off this E.P.  This song has   that magnetic characteristic, it’s really catchy, and fun to follow along to. I will always add points to a song based on if it brings certain emotions that bring me back to my younger days.  When you hear something and it makes you smile, or say fuck yeah.  Music that gets you moving and makes you break out the air drums or air guitar while listening to the track. This is a perfect example of that.

 

  1. Living Denial

A cool but bri4ef drum fill sets up the song, this time the song has a much slower feel. But I dig the layered vocals from Haydee, and then right at the :39 mark they kick things into high gear. I love this transition they went through to this point.   This song doesn’t sounds like what you would have expected from the first thirty seconds.  They completely took this song in a different direction than I anticipated, and damn I am glad they did. This song is catchy as hell, and I love those guitar tones. I can’t really tell you much about the guitars since I don’t play, but I know when I hear something I like and the guitars on this track sounds great, this song sounds awesome.  And who expected the vocals at the 3:47 mark? I did not, Haydee has more range and sound than we expected. Not sure if any backing vocals besides her are being layered in.  However the more I listen to this E.P. the more I am digging the talent of this band.

 

  1. Sorrowful Eyes

So this song starts out with a nice simple melody and then picks the tempo up. I am listening to this and wondering what happened here?  I mean the song is good musically.  But I feel as though maybe not all songwriting is done by the same person, or persons.  And this song is a track that makes me feel that way. Because it doesn’t really sounds like what I heard from the previous three tracks. Sure there are harsh vocals double bass, distortion. However when the song kicks in, it sounded like a different band, with the same vocalist, and different ideas. This song to me sounds like a hard rock song.  Something I would hear on the radio, I think they are showing that they have a bigger range than you would expect.  The song is good, I think though, that it takes away from the E.P. a little.  Solid song, but it sounds too radio rock friendly to me. Like they went from being a band like Arch Enemy, to a band like Evanescence.  Don’t get me wrong, there is a time for a song like this, however I just didn’t feel it.

 

  1. Aversion

This song is a little more in the same direction that the first three were going. I dig the beginning of the song. The first ten seconds or so is cool, and they transition again a few times before the first verse. Which really reminds me of that 90’s melodic death metal like arch enemy and Crisis. Once you get passed the first verse they hit you with a guitar solo right around the 2 minute mark, and damn. It’s a subtle solo that speaks volumes, not all solos have to be the fastest shredding solo. Think of it like gravity blasts for drums. Are they cool, yes, are they always necessary? No they are not, but to rip a solo that has some soul behind it, I will enjoy that every time.  This song is just shy of eight minutes long and they sure as shit pack a lot into this one.

 

After listening to this E.P. I gotta say I really dig it. Aversed has a sound very similar to bands like early Arch Enemy, they have a fresh sound that’s blended with late 90’s melodic death metal.  They seem like a force to be reckoned with when it comes to their sound.   I like the dauntless delivery. They are so confident and you can hear it in the music.  The first three tracks are killer, Sorrowful Eyes was an interesting choice. I’m not going to say the song was bad it just didn’t affect me the same way that the rest of the E.P. did.  Now I need to point out, that one song out of 5 is not bad by any means, and this E.P. is quite possibly going to take this band places. I can’t listen to this E.P. and think that they are lacking drive and ambition. They definitely don’t lack anything when it comes to their music, they fill their music to the maximum capacity.  Melodic metal/ Melodic death metal fans will appreciate this E.P. – 6.5/10 \m/

 

 

Like what you hear? Then go on and head over to their FACEBOOK page to give them a like and stay up to date on them Here \m/

Also you can get the E.P. over at their BANDCAMP page Here \m/

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

Burial In The Sky- Persistence Of Thought- Album Review 8/10 \m/

on By

Burial in the Sky

Persistence of thought

William Okronglis – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass

James Tomedi –  lead guitar, bass, keys, mandolin,

Sam Stewart – Drums

Samus Paulicelli – session drums

Out November 4th 2016

13494910_1080380115380260_6301573452009875928_n1

 

  1. Entry I

This song begins with about a full minute of some really atmospheric sounds, they build up slowly before the band comes in hard at the 1: 09 mark where you have the drums setting the pace of this song. Vocals come in about ten seconds after.  They fall under a tech death sub-genre, but they are more than that based on the sounds of this first track. They would be more like a progressive melodic technical death metal.  The song really starts this album off well, it’s a subtle track,  do not confuse subtle for short and monotonous. Nope that is not the case.  It’s a subtle track by simply getting the listener acclimated to the sounds and stylings of Burial in the Sky.  They have guitar tones and sounds that remind me of bands ranging from the Tony Danza tap dance extravaganza to Pink Floyd. A truly unique band, offering some thought provoking metal. its got that atmospheric feel like Fallujah, I am really digging this album so far.

 

  1. Entry II

This song begins with a slow start, but it’s a cool soulful melody that’s played for the first thirty eight seconds, before the drums come in heavier, and the rest of the instruments join in.  The guitar riff at the one minute mark is a great way to progress into the first verse.  I’m having a hard time placing who the vocals remind me of. But they have a sound that brings me back to my high school days and going to the small shows.  Damn the guitars at the 2:02 mark have that cool feel again. They bring that prog sound and style to the table, that’s something I do like about these guys. It’s not just tech death, it’s a really smooth blend of atmospheric technical progressive death metal.  Or “pretty fucking cool” as I have been describing them these past few weeks.  Right around the 3:25 mark when the vocals come in those thirty seconds are great. The tone of the vocals, and then coming out to the blast beats on the drums and the way they are delivered make this a worthwhile track.  But it’s also worth mentioning about the guitar work from the 4:40 mark and lasting about 15 seconds that reminds me of Chris Letchford. so that adds another flavor to the mix,  they have a sound that can appeal to fans of  instrumental bands like Scale The Summit, to metal bands from all the various sub-genres connecting prog metal to technical metal.

 

  1. Entry III

Ahhh yes this song, it begins much like the previous tracks in a slower and almost smokey way.  They aren’t coming right out and playing, they are adding the tiny details to the sound to give you that type of imagery. It gives you this spacey feeling, like you are just floating in air.  You know the more I am getting this vibe, the more they remind me of bands like Fallujah who have a similar style.  Following that beginning sequence, they come in hard around the :53 mark but in a slow tempo. It’s more of a dramatic feel than trying to blow everyone away with speed. I love the progression of their music so far in this album, it’s subtle, wonderfully crafted and emotional in the delivery.  I will say that Entry I, Entry II, and Entry III are best listened back to back.  But all three can hold their own ground as far as how good they are individually.

 

  1. Anchors

This song also begins with that slower, spacey feel like the previous tracks had.  One thing worth mentioning before the song takes off, is that this song is 7:27 minutes/seconds long. All the tracks have a considerable amount of time, and it’s not spent playing the fastest blasts or shred fest solos.  They fill the time with sounds that buildup to make the songs just that much more enjoyable for the listener.  Don’t get me wrong, I love blistering fast blast beats and sick guitar solos. But it’s the proggy tech death bands like this one here that gives you music that is going to encourage the thought process.  This is a thought provoking album, it gets the listeners to think. I like when an album has that characteristic.  Right around the :55 mark  we get some more percussion, shakers, I think I hear a Guiro,   either way I like that they are adding some non-conventional in the mix and then  only about twenty seconds later the  heavy vocals  barrel in with brute force.  This song has plenty of ups and downs that the listener experiences. And I enjoy that about this album, the songs are keeping your attention, they are bringing you on a ride.  A wild and beautiful ride.

 

  1. Galaxy of Ghosts

This song does not start out the way the previous tracks did, nope this one is an instant 0-100 in a split second right out of the gate heavy track.  This is the odd ball track, 4 songs back to back start out cool and smooth, and then this one track begins at full speed right from the first note. This song is a solid track, and unique in its own way.  It’s different from the previous tracks but it holds its ground for being a solid track. The section at the 2:46 mark and playing through is a highlight for this track, the vocals sound layered. Then coming out of that is a mellow segment before we get some cool guitar work.  Get to the 3:37 mark and you will begin to hear the guitars setting up a killer riff, and getting the listener amped up for when the vocals come back in only about thirty or so seconds after. The rest of this track basically lifts the listener up all the way and then the last forty seconds or so  gently bring the listener back to the ground.

 

  1. Dimensions Divide

So in the first few seconds of play on this track you observe the following.  They come in hard from the very beginning, and this has a good feel to it, like this is the track to end the album with. It has that vibe like everything comes together, and is the conclusion of the album. They hit us with a short guitar solo only about a quarter of the way into this track. There truly is a lot going on in this song.  And some will take away that this is a three piece band, but they have that spacey atmospheric sound in the background, they are delivering forceful vocals, the drums are locked in with keeping the pace of the songs, and the guitars keep hitting us with cool riffs here and there as well as a satisfying solo a few times throughout the track. Ultimately with a minute and a half left of the song, the track drops down dramatically to a somber spacey melodic tune.  Just lifting you weightlessly, taking you away giving you the image that you are doing just that floating away after listening to a powerful set of songs.

 

 

This is a solid album, it is only six tracks but each track is between 5-8 minutes long.  And each song has a lot packed in as well. This album is intriguing, I can’t explain it well. But when you listen to it, it’s hard to just focus on one track being the best on the album.   I find that I enjoy listening to this album start to finish.  Some albums have that vibe to them. Where you can just as easily play any track in random order if you wanted.  But playing at least the first three tracks back to back offers a more in depth experience when listening to the album.  They have that spacey atmospheric style like Fallujah, and it has a prog metal feel to it in other areas, but the whole time they are rocking the tech death line. I think we live in a world where you have to prove yourself in 30 seconds or less on whether or not your band or your album is the next best thing. I encourage anyone who wants to and will listen to this album. To give yourself the time to listen to it.  Don’t listen to one track and make up your mind, or listen to 30 seconds of one track skipping to the next. Give this a full play through upon listening to it for the first time.  Every song brings you up and down, but really delivers the goods.  This album is a solid 8/10 \m/ and definitely deserves to be heard.  Give it a listen,  check out the links below and  take a listen to the fifth track off this album titled Galaxy Of Ghosts.

 

 

 

 

Check Burial In The Sky out on Facebook

Order up “Persistence Of Thought” by heading HERE to their BANDCAMP Page

-Badger \m/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com