This is the second album release from Structural, of whom it is said that bands such Lamb of God, Nevermore and Arch Enemy are influences. Death metal is at the heart of “Decrowned”, and with Cryptopsy’s producer doing the mixing, it might be expected that it is at the heavier and violent end of the spectrum.
After a dramatic intro, Structural do not launch into pure death metal at all. Far from it. What I was hearing was technically-orientated, carefully structured melodic and progressive death metal. “Your Damnation” reaches to the skies and can be described as epic. This was most promising. There’s a freshness and excitement about it. This continues into “My Grass is Greener”. Yes, the vocals are growly and the drums are hard-hitting and there’s a wall of sound, but it’s so vibrant. The technical insertions fit in nicely and enhance the atmosphere. Structural are adept at managing tempo changes too. Come here also for passion and intensity. Cue “And the Earth has Rested”, another tightly controlled melo death outpouring. I wasn’t so keen on the short clean chorus, but short it is, and Structural are mixing it all up here, the many ingredients making a dish of great texture and depth. If I perhaps have one reservation is that in throwing everything at it, Structural don’t allow listeners the space or time to enjoy these vibrant and transforming passages, such is their ephemeral nature. Each song is awash with musical ideas.
“White Lily” is darker than most, but even this one heads off on a jolly guitar romp before breaking down into impressive and shadowy technicality. In among the deathly fare, Structural impress with a range of epic passages, fluidly inserting an ethereal one on “Purge of Sanity”, a real highlight track for me and one I could delight in over and over again, such is the quality of its structure, musicianship and atmosphere. Djenty death delight runs through the vein of “Ascetic”, which now has the audacity to turn momentarily symphonic before cranking up again into breakneck death technicality. It’s yet another exciting excursion from this band. It’s odd that we should reach the ninth song before finding one called “Turbulence” because there’s been plenty of that, but the turbulence lies not in chaos or pitch-black darkness but in the multi-layered musical mix, which is uplifting. Technical death metal transforms into a pompous guitar solo. As on “And the Earth has Rested”, the vocals spread out to a Persefone-like spoken line and a brief narrative, and did not in my eyes seem to serve much purpose before we return to the searing technicality which provides the energy not just on this song, but throughout the album. Emergency … the sirens sound, before technical metal leads the drama of “Rebirth”. The song develops like an epic story, using crunching metal and sound effects to reinforce the vivacious energy. A lively technical riff introduces “Puppeteer”, the final song. Harsh in its death metal way, it’s balanced with melody, virtuosity, motion and an epic structure, just like the rest of this album.
There’s a lot to take in here. Structural treat us to a multi-coloured, technical adventure. Each song on “Decrowned” is like a relentless adrenaline-fest.
(8.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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