Review of Allegaeon - "Elements of the Infinite"
MID-MAJOR MAYHEM
By: Geoff Teach
These days, it seems like everyone and their mother are doing a review of Allegaeon’s new album “Elements of the Infinite” (Metal Blade Records) …and for exceptionally good reason. The Colorado speed death metal five-piece have been slowly building a name for themselves since their debut release, 2010’s “Fragments of Form and Function” (Metal Blade), and the outfit’s propensities for prolific blast beats, dual guitar brilliance, classic acoustic interludes, existentially profound lyrics, and heaping helpings of hilarity have all culminated to garner the act an avalanche of international attention. Marketed to the hilt by both the record label and the band themselves with the pre-release of the (summarily side-splitting) video for the track, “1.618”, Allegaeon has pulled out all the stops in their attempt at showing the world just how much they enjoy writing and sharing their absolutely punishing death metal. Just press play to see and hear precisely what I mean:
“Elements of the Infinite” has everything that modern day death metal fanatic could ask for: Excellent production; deep, rich, and layered tones across the board; and a surfeit of growling about the cosmos, humanity, and history. Allegaeon has never been shy about inducing their listeners to stop, sit, and contemplate their subject matter, and “Elements of the Infinite” is no exception. While the band members themselves may all be, to a man, complete jesters, the music they write is deadly fucking serious death metal, and tracks such as the string-laden opener, “Threshold of Perception”, and “Dyson Sphere” let you know you this without any hesitation. Getting into the heart of the album, though, is where Allegaeon truly shines, with tracks such as “The Phylogenesis Stretch”, “1.618”, and “Our Cosmic Casket”, which is ultimately my favorite track on the effort. Do yourself a favor and find out why by clicking play:
Finishing out the release with stunners such as “Biomech II” (an expansion on the concept of the song “Biomech: Vals No.666” on their debut album), “Through Ages of Ice: Otzi’s Curse” (another one of my favorites), and the ever-present “Vals” track, “Genocide for Praise: Vals for the Vitruvian Man”, Allegaeon have officially cemented themselves as one of the “must-know” metal acts of today. “Elements of the Infinite” is a modern death metal apotheosis, and no self-respecting metal head alive today should deny themselves the pleasure of listening to it in its entirety, so go now, and buy a copy today, dammit!
Keep it metal, class dismissed!
To visit Allegaeon on the web, just click the links below: