Review: Allegaeon – Elements of The Infinite

Allegaeon - Elements of the Infinite[avatar user=”James” size=”50″ align=”left” /]I’ve always been a bit funny with technical stuff. Quite often, a band will play technically and it comes off as “Look! We can play technically”. Sadly, when that happens, all sense of melody is lost. This album gets the balance just right. It’s technical enough for you to think it’s tricky to play (check out the play-through of “Dyson Sphere”), but it still retains melody.

Line-up wise, things have changed since the last album. Brandon Park joined on drums and Michael Stancel has joined on guitar. This is noticeable, as the drums sound tighter as do the guitar parts. This may just be the way the album has been recorded, but it feels more cohesive than the previous album.

Production is as usual with these kinds of things. Clean and crisp with nothing overly distorted, which is what the album needs; Otherwise all the technical playing and melody would be turned into an inaudible mush. Being recorded, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero, whom worked on the most recent Cattle Decapitation album, has definitely given it a great sound.

Starting with a slow acoustic riff before blasting into a technical masterpiece, “Threshold of Perception” gives you an idea of what’s to come on the album. The little orchestral outings, composed by Greg (Guitars), here and there liven up areas, which might seem barren without them.

Opening with an insane drum fill, one my favorites from the album then plays. “Tyrants of the Terrestrial Exodus” gives more of that traditional Allegaeon style. Technical riffs, Erza (Vocals) switching between high and low growls and fast drum patterns. The rest of the album continues in a similar fashion making for an enjoyable listen.

The end of the album features the behemoth that is “Genocide for Praise – Vals for the Vitruvian Man”. A masterpiece, featuring both fast shredding riffs, orchestral arrangements and acoustic guitar outings, it really is an epic ending to an amazing album.

If you’re interested in hearing a newish band, or like technical death metal then I’d recommend this. One final thing, check out the music video they did for “1.618”, it’s hilarious.

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