Three years since the release of ‘Apoptosis’ and their 6th album, the band from Colorado state that this is the first time they have written everything as a band, rather than individually bringing songs for the others to play, and it shows.
The Spanish guitar intro for “Bastards of the Earth” is quickly swept aside as the distortion pedals are depressed and new drummer Jeff Saltzman makes his presence felt immediately, but it’s Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel’s lead trade-offs that take the edge off the manic feel of the song, so when Riley McShane’s clean vocals come in for a verse you aren’t wondering whether you’re listening to the right album.
Once again starting off with clean guitars, followed by a sultry deep vocal whisper that becomes a melodic verse, “Of Beasts and Worms” does step things up as the guitars and drums up their pace, however it’s the fact that clean vocals are used over the heaviest part of the song that gives the death vocals the job of adding to heaviness when used.
Wasting no time, “Into Embers” hits its manic speed instantly, and the chunky riff under the guttural growls still carries a melody that is easier to distinguish when it becomes the main run for the lead solo that appears to last for more than half the song.
Rather than have the Spanish guitars as the intro, “To Carry My Grief Through Torpor and Silence” uses them as an interlude in the middle of the song before they break into Brandon Michael’s bass run followed by an epic lead.
A bass run over drum fills are eventually joined by the guitars to throw “Vermin” into full flow, but the heady bass riff underpins the melody the guitars are playing over as the vocals roar to the fore.
Having an extremely Opeth feel to it, “Called Home” has a slow tempo and guitar rhythm, even when the drums are blasting along, then there’s the melodic clean vocals that slip straight into deep roars sans effort, as the guitars build over the piano.
Even though the guitars have a slowish feel to their overall sound, “Blight” is anything but slow, as the drums power on at breakneck speed, while the vocals follow suit until the cadence changes to a choppier rhythm, before a piano comes in place of a lead solo, which does occur a bit later in the song.
When listening to “The Dopamine Void Pt. 1” it’s very easy to tell why the song was split in two. The first part is beautifully serene and the clean vocals over the mournful lead work exceptionally well. “The Dopamine Void Pt. 2” on the other hand is the other end of the spectrum, with rapidly blasted drums over harsh screams and angry growls, as the same bass riff is played, but at what sounds like four times the pace with leads that could flay guitarists fingers.
What sounds like it could be an operatic opening for “Saturnine” quickly becomes a no holds barred attack with the bass rumbling loud in the mix as the guitars alternate playing melodic leads over the heavy rhythm of the other guitar and drums, with near half paced growls to fill out the layered sound.
“In Mourning” is a haunting acoustic interlude that forces you to step back and listen as it slowly plays out owing to the sudden and drastic change in speed. But as the guitars build into “Only Loss”, with the drums playing gentle rolls, you’d be forgiven for thinking things would be getting extremely heavy, however the a cappella vocals are heartfelt and do make the expected shift back to full pace even more dramatic as the intensity of all the instruments over the shouted growls hit home with the anguish felt.
This is an excellent album, and easily Allegaeon’s finest work to date. While the songs and writing may be more mature in their entirety, they aren’t any less frantic or manic, and that’s definitely a good thing.
(9/10 Marco Gaminara)
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