Genre : Progressive Metal
Label : AM Music
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.2 / 10
Buy it now
Deeply underrated American progressive metal squadron Odd Logic comes forth with a monstrous full length that is practically stacked with finely sculpted delicacies from start to finish, despite how this release declares galactic scale war to conquer your very best honest attention via a stupendous running time of 1 hour and 9 minutes. The anatomy of this fine aural contribution reflects the music I "anticipated" - what a terribly, terribly snob word - from the latest Dream Theater - ah!, aaah!, aaaaah! - disc, only, this time the gloom trodden power metal stench I would have been so keen to missing out on in the supersmarmy company of THAT particular album, is nowhere to be found, luckily enough.
This robust, sci-fi tinted Odd Logic statement has wank-free intricacy and tight compositional efforts realized on it pretty much without stop or any blemishes you could valiantly point the index finger on, and, this time, thank God and Co., there is no need to question the progressive nature of the album, either. Odd Logic's Over the Underworld is highly aware of the steeply priced defining qualities of the genre, and that latent-, untold progressive requirement of rabid, yet sober flamboyancy is created and maintained by every single minute of the stimuli. In other words, this full length has immense work in it, and, look! This IS progressive metal, oh my God it really IS that, oh God!!!4
Sure, in an ideal world, you would not need to be staggered about the fact that a progressive metal album actually PROGRESSES, but, recently me, myself and I - along with the guy who is writing this - personally saw examples when Dr. Albanish pop metal is embraced by the delightful deceived as the finest progressive sonic stimuli to grace the silence of recent day cosmoses.
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If it is about entertainment with alleged capacities to shape a soul, - notice : the entertainment that lacks this quality is not even worth its title - then it is not a sane thing to get satisfied with anything less efficient or more abject than others ARE willing to give to you, courtesy of they having both the capacity and the propensity to give it for real. I'm telling all this, because this here is a serious progressive metal album without ANY deceiving tendencies, and the only way it is using to get to the epitome of progression, is leading through JUST that. The only entities on board are the fine music in the company of tight creative power and the rigorously focused work that are fueling it. Guys, let's talk about the music.
In nature, this contribution shows similarities with Arch & Matheos' latest bionic creation, only this time, the beautifully chug-fixated complexity gets a sonic room with more freely-, more playfully positioned spaces in it, as result of tasteful wall of sound quasi-choruses - more on this later - and efficient mini-breakdowns. The release is not at all reluctant to rely on cybernetic synthetizers, and those are looking absolutely vicious when toppling in a timelessly classic and classicly timeless Faith No More fashion the GIGANTIC rumble the album's rhythm guitar is capable to produce. The sound of the rhythm guitar here demands a scientific essay on its own, to be honest : it is ridiculously wide and evil, and sits in a PERFECT place in the mix. This chug produces an almost percussive effect, while having a very sober understanding of its own functions.
As for the song structures, these are inventively, soberly capricious builds with myriads and myriads of defining prime elements per track, which will be much more easy to believe when you consider that the shortest track on this release is 9:15, - saved for a secret track of 1:45 minutes of silence - while the longest weighs in at 20:34, so do not eat chili beans while subjecting yourself to this baby. The well varied anatomic structures of the songs are prone to reveal a honest, thrilling sci-fi vibe riding on its autonomous fixation towards mid-tempo soul grinding, and heft always IS mandatory. And, what is best, once you are accustomed to a great-, restrained mid tempo riff and realize you are given no other choice than to like it, all of a sudden it gets its butt kicked proper by a Pantera-like monster riff that shows its roaring "I hate everyone and everything and now I will fuck you up, too" face around for half a minute or so for good measure. Same is true to the structures of the melodic singing work : verses and choruses are elegantly utilized, but not at relied upon, and this compositional behavior is very interesting to listen to. A narrative stance with healthily belted ringed notes that last for five eternities, are commanding the verse sections, and the choruses/intermessos are bringing the elegant catchy factor in without you being forced to produce a twitch or two at both corners of your mouth. As for the timber, the mood of the vocal contribution, the singing is an exclusively clean, brisk midrange. Soulful and dignified in character, even when deeply restrained and lyrical, no James LaBrie "please sing a handkerchief for me for this, too" factor.
It is worth mentioning that the tremendous rumble the album produces is the result of a noticeable decision to cover the entire content into a quite present - but not at all overshot - reverb effect. This gives the album a cybernetically lush and unforgiving quality that is a superbly thrilling feeling to immense yourself into, and it weighs on the psyche as the french kiss of a black hole, but hell, this exactly what the idea is. If you want to hear progressive metal that fulfills and tastefully flatters-, even worships the extremely high expectation levels of its ruthlessly demanding genre, then picking up Odd Logic's Over the Underworld is top priority, Ladies and Gents.
Rating : 9.2 / 10
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