Endless Cycle - Into The Opaque...
Endless Cycle's debut album, 'Into The Opaque...,' is a mix of Thrash and Progressive Death Metal. Perhaps the closest comparison that can be made to this band (due to a similar music structure) is that of Opeth. Both bands can switch from hard, chugging moments to soft, acoustic bridges with a mix of both harsh growls and clean vocals while relying on an epic structure. Endless Cycle is a bit less Proggy though as it relies more on catchy, repetitive rhythms akin to Thrash, such as with the track "Controlled By Them," to get their point across. And it is still very enjoyable in its own way. The vocals are a bit rougher, touching on old school grit like how Obituary sounds, and sometimes even touching on the shrieks of Black Metal, but overall the feeling is certainly Death Metal. On tracks like "Creation Of Nothing," the clean vocals amongst the use of percussion (a rare, but excellent addition) sound like a cross between that of both the vocalists of Opeth and Dark Tranquillity right before the solo explodes into the music, which hints at the burning Thrash influence. Other tracks like "Blueprint" fall more into the sci-fi proggy era by adding spacey tones to the vocals, warbling keyboards, and a much jazzier structure that lacks the ferocity of the Death Metal side but at the same time makes the music sound much less generic.
The monster epic called "Pride" can be considered the album 'ballad' as it removes most of the churning Death Metal riffs and vocals and instead opts for what feels like a giant proggy solo that carries on with the vocals behind it. Ultimately, this track will probably take the biggest hit for being considered to sound far too much like Opeth, but as far as being compared to the other tracks on the album, it is by far the most musically diverse, showcasing some of the best musical skill the group has had yet to deliver. While the track does pick up a bit more with a sudden blast of Death Metal sections (only for a little bit), the overall feeling of the track is that of just a soothing, Prog Metal piece that allows listeners to settle out on the album rather than go out on a heavy note without much time to pause and think about things as they are going along. Ultimately, the skill of Endless Cycle is undeniable in their ability to craft lengthy, intriguing songs without repeating themselves too much and the production doesn't hinder anything. The only downside to some purists may be that they will consider this far too much like Opeth and that there is a slight lack of originality with how the band could have written some of their music. Still, most prog fans or Death Metal fans in general are going to find 'Into The Opaque...' a wandering journey that is highly enjoyable and certainly lengthy enough to not feel cheated of their time.
The monster epic called "Pride" can be considered the album 'ballad' as it removes most of the churning Death Metal riffs and vocals and instead opts for what feels like a giant proggy solo that carries on with the vocals behind it. Ultimately, this track will probably take the biggest hit for being considered to sound far too much like Opeth, but as far as being compared to the other tracks on the album, it is by far the most musically diverse, showcasing some of the best musical skill the group has had yet to deliver. While the track does pick up a bit more with a sudden blast of Death Metal sections (only for a little bit), the overall feeling of the track is that of just a soothing, Prog Metal piece that allows listeners to settle out on the album rather than go out on a heavy note without much time to pause and think about things as they are going along. Ultimately, the skill of Endless Cycle is undeniable in their ability to craft lengthy, intriguing songs without repeating themselves too much and the production doesn't hinder anything. The only downside to some purists may be that they will consider this far too much like Opeth and that there is a slight lack of originality with how the band could have written some of their music. Still, most prog fans or Death Metal fans in general are going to find 'Into The Opaque...' a wandering journey that is highly enjoyable and certainly lengthy enough to not feel cheated of their time.
- Creation Of Nothing
- Released
- Blueprint (Aquaphobia)
- Failure
- Opaque Portrait
- Controlled By Them
- Driven By Greed
- Pride
Self released
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Dec 12, 2011
Dec 12, 2011
Next review:
Disquiet - Scars Of Undying Grief
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