Gorod- Process of a New Decline
Wow-- this is technical, progressive death metal at its finest.
Combining the beauty and intricacy of Obscura with the frenzy and heavy crush of The Faceless (two of my personal faves), this album is a stunning accomplishment that shines track-for-track, and as a whole work of art.
Album standouts like "Disavow Your God," "Programmers of Decline," and "Splinters of Life" are incredibly entertaining on all levels. As a new guitar player, I was enthused beyond belief and the axework of Mat and Arnaud, yet simultaneously so discouraged that I'd never be able to play any of their compositions. Segments range from snaking double-helix leads, blindingly bright tap solos, to heavy riffs that are as smooth as Mercury. The drums are also mind-bogglingly complex, taking advantage of more percussion instruments than you can possibly name, while laying down distractingly-groovy rhythm lines, as well as fills and solos that will make you do a quad-take (no, not a double-take, nor even a triple-take, yes, indeed, a quad-take) when you first hear them.
The musicianship on this album is noticeable from the first instant, and the listener immediately gets the impression that this French 5-set knows how to play their instruments and write songs that both show off their chops, and catch the listener's attention-- thus avoiding a common pitfall among bands in this genre.
The only drawback is that amongst all this calculating chaos, one may lose oneself and feel the songs blend together at times. Alas, this is nigh-unavoidable across a tech-death album spanning more than 10 songs, but it is present here nonetheless.
DISCLAIMER: If you're going to listen to this album-- give it your full attention. You owe it to the band, and yourself.
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