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Axamenta: Ever-arch-I-tech-ture

08/04/09 || GardensTale

Okay, let’s see, what do we have here, Belgian black metal… Hmm, nice concept, cool booklet, I like the cover, album title is absolutely fucking ludicrous, now, on to business.
Intro-like part with a threatening-sounding reverb and a creepy voice stating the chain reaction’s been initiated. And that’s where, after a short bridge, Axamenta suddenly plunges headfirst down into a surprisingly sophisticated prog-black metal assault. I know prog doesn’t generally indicate ‘assault’ but both the drumming and the guitars are varied and tight, creating the feel of both a flow and a really fucking heavy rolling thunder. Avalanche, there you go, it feels like a cascade of fucking boulders.

Of course, this is still a melodic deathy prog-black album (don’t worry, I’ll shoot myself later for that piece of genreism), and so very tasteful keyboard and variation in the hard and soft soon enter the music, and throughout the album the music is extremely competent, well-written, and riddled with cool concepts (apparently the album’s concept is about apocalyptic happenings throughout the centuries, some real, some fictional, generally they’re pretty fucking cool) and the production is very slick and thick. Vocals vary from competent scream to competent growl and some variation is preserved in the pacing by interludes (one of them, the title track, conveys a fucking amazing world gone mad feeling) and the ballad-like “Threnody for an Endling” with guest vocals from the Pain of Salvation queer. Good song all in all, just a little gay. But hey, ain’t we all?

All in all, there’s really not much wrong with the album… except for the fact that in spite of the cool concept, varied and well-executed guitars, drums and keys, by the time the aforementioned ballad rolls I was halfway to dreamland. Nothing to pinpoint that on, they do everything they should be to keep things interesting, and next thing you know you’re catching up on the sleep you lost by masturbating frantically all night to a picture of Monica Bellucci.

I don’t know. Maybe my attention span is too short. Considering some of the lengthy progressive rock I enjoy I don’t know about that one though. I think it’s just that the first half of the album contains a lot of songs that all sound kind of the same. Axamenta prefer their songs only semi-structured, and it works because of the proggy nature of the metal here, but at the same time it gets a bit difficult to distinguish between the different songs.

However, this is really the only fault you could accuse Axamenta of (okay, perhaps the teaspoon of pretentiousness… but that comes with the territory) and so I’d still heartily recommend these apocalyptic Belgians to the black metal fan who does not limit themselves to My First Sony in a trashcan-recordings, or the melodic death metal fan who isn’t afraid of some BM drumming and vocals. Or someone inbetween. I don’t know. Fuck it.

7,5 apocalypses out of 10 .

Information
Released: 2006
Label: Shiver Records
Website: www.axamenta.com
Band
Peter Meynckens: vocals
Ian van Gemeren: lead guitar
Sven Deckers: rhythm guitar
Jerre Vingerhoed: bass
Tom “Tomme” Van Oosterwijck: drums

Tracklist
01. Incognation
02. Demons Shelter Within
03. Ashes to Flesh
04. A Nation in Atrophy
05. The Midnight Grotesque
06. Prophet Set to Witness
07. Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture
08. Threnody for an Endling
09. Ravager 1.6.6.3
10. Of Genesis and Apocalypse
11. Foreboding
12. Shackles Cross
13. The Omniscient

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