METAL BLADE
Progressive metal titans match their skills with a dearth of thrills
The bonafides of this ultratalented LA quartet are unassailable. Three former members of The Faceless, who are also permanent or fill-in members of Cynic, John Frum, Bereft and Soreption, have gathered to do the expected. At first, they somehow manage to simultaneously make jaws drop in amazement while yawn in boredom with the ultra-technical, gonowhere ennui of opener The Axiom Of Error. The following tracks – Algorithmic Salvation, Lexicontagion, Deletion Cult and Divinertia II – showcase the guitar sound’s extreme staccato and the ability of the band to fluidly stop on a dime like King Crimson powered by Watchtower. This is where they prove there’s life to be had in those who would suffocate vitality underneath a wet blanket of prodigious capability. Which, unfortunately, is precisely what happens far too often on Datalysium. ■■■■■■■■■■