Artist: Alarum
Label: Willowtip Records
Release Date: 11/16/04
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Title: Eventuality Artist: Alarum Label: Willowtip Records Release Date: 11/16/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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3 | ||
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3 | ||
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Abyss's Review:
This is my first experience with this band, and one thing's clear right off the bat, these guys sure know how to play their instruments. Alarum combine progressive and death metal in an impressive and interesting way, creating compelling music despite the fact that it's far from easily accessible. The band is equal parts Cynic and the more progressive era of Death, but includes nuances of Dillinger Escape Plan and Dream Theater as well.
"One word review: Impressive." Those who worship at the altar of musicality will be staining their pants over this one, but even the less technically inclined can find a lot of worthwhile stuff here. The mixture of harsh vocals and Yes-like keyboards makes for an interesting dichotomy, and the start/stop rhythms contrast with the usual synthetic flow of progressive music resulting in a unique effect.
Unfortunately, I'd probably like this album a lot more if it didn't fall into the stereotypical trappings of the progressive genre. While much of the work is inspired and original, there is even more musical masturbation present, showing dexterity of the fingers, but doing little to move the soul. But these moments of tedium do little to mar an impressive performance, and this is all coming from someone who is admittedly hit or miss on the progressive genre as a whole.
For those who are true fans of this stuff, I would think this album would be damn near perfect. One thing's for sure, it deserves a look. One word review: Impressive.
Death's Review:
"It is not as captivating as I would like." The press release seemed promising, citing influences such as Cynic, Atheist and Pestilence. The quote from Kerrang! mentioned Watchtower and Dream Theater. So I was intrigued. In the end, all of these comparisons are indeed apt, but Australia's Alarum does not come close to touching the greatness of any of these bands. I'm not exactly sure why, but I can tell you that while the musicianship and musical diversity on display is impressive, and the songs are often more metal than you might think, in the end, the songwriting just is not there. The music is not catchy enough, and while it is "interesting," in the sense that it is both complex and mostly original sounding, it is not as captivating as I would like, at least not captivating enough after the few brief listens I got to spend with this album before submitting my review. Perhaps this is a band that makes you work for that eventual payoff, and, if so, perhaps my judgment is overly hasty. I'll say this for my final analysis: After a few listens, this does remind me of Cynic and Watchtower, but nothing on the album is memorable enough in its own right to compel me to listen to it enough to really get into it.
Hel's Review:
This release was not what I expected. My expectations were based on the press kit, which characterized the band as progressive technical death. While these things are undeniably true, the kit fails to mention the strong metalcore vibe found throughout the disc. Songs such as "Throughout the Moment" fairly ooze with metalcore flavor. Since it was this that first struck me on my initial listen to the disc, it is the aspect that stands out for me the most. This is a shame really, since I'm getting thoroughly fed up with this type of sound, and I think I may not be the only one who feels this way. I would have been happier if this record had omitted these influences.
"This release was not what I expected." The non-metalcore parts found on Eventuality are very impressive, and demonstrate that the members of Alarum really know how to handle their instruments and have a flair for unconventional songwriting. Numerous sections throughout the album display a creativity and skill level that are uncommon. Unfortunately, these are tainted for me by other elements that feel rather like the band is pandering to the mainstream. Regardless of whether or not they are (and I sincerely doubt they are), a potentially brilliant album has been diluted with pedestrian 'core. Perhaps a different vocal delivery would effectively remedy this, but as things currently stand, I find myself disappointed.
Alarum deserves kudos for trying to meld such diverse sounds together and the success that they do achieve in doing so. Many people may find that this combination is just the thing they've been looking for. Whether or not it was intentional, Alarum have succeeded in bringing metalcore to a new level. Eventuality is an album for a special sort of metal fan, one with an appreciation for technicality and a tolerance for a metalcore-sounding vocal delivery.
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