Rings Of Saturn - Embryonic Anomaly
'Embryonic Anomaly' is Rings Of Saturn's first debut album, and is a promising introduction for this upcoming band who formed barely a year before its release. Touching upon technical, sci-fi oriented deathcore that so many bands have attempted, but few have done right, Rings Of Saturn try to mix both in a healthy, new kind of way. Their technical guita work is jazzy, fast, a headache, and also suits their sci-fi themes very well. Listening to "Invasion" one hears almost what would be considered old arcade video game music along the lines of Mario Brothers, Asteroid, or even Project Raiden; the guitars get so high and loop so well along with the keyboards that it becomes almost impossible to tell the difference, but it is exciting to hear all the same. Sometimes after the deathcore based chugs a wild solo can come in like an awkward moment, but that's part of the beauty of technical metal: its unpredictable. Of course, even in their innovations, Rings Of Saturn can tend to get predictable after a while with 'Embryonic Anomaly.' The first half of the album is largely the sci-fi technical metal stuff with plenty of Nintendo sounding guitar bits galore. The other half is more straightforward deathcore such as the heavy chugger "Corpses Thrown Across The Sky" which does feature a few technical moments that progress like someone tuning a saxophone, but it just doesn't seem as momentous as the other tracks. On "Grinding The Interal Organs" it feels even more generic.
The vocals tend to be a hit and miss on the album. The deeper, guttural growls are always a pleasure to hear without being butchered, but the higher vocals can get lost in the music (especially during the solos). But, like most deathcore and death metal, fans prefer the deep growls anyway, even though there always seems to be no shortage of shrieks. While it does add diversity to Rings Of Saturn, it isn't always a welcome addition. "End Of Humanity" on the other hand is a great diverse closer that is soft, eerie, and settles the album on a disturbing note that really tingles the spine. Like a Twlight Zone show gone insane, 'Embryonic Anomaly' takes technical deathcore in a slightly new direction that may not seem as furious a Decrepit Birth or a mathcorefest like Meshuggah, but it is a well placed attempt at trying to make a heavy, solid album that rises above the usual generic chuggers that can get tossed into the market these days. This isn't perfect, but Rings Of Saturn already have half their body through the door as opposed to a finger or foot, so they are well on their way to success.
The vocals tend to be a hit and miss on the album. The deeper, guttural growls are always a pleasure to hear without being butchered, but the higher vocals can get lost in the music (especially during the solos). But, like most deathcore and death metal, fans prefer the deep growls anyway, even though there always seems to be no shortage of shrieks. While it does add diversity to Rings Of Saturn, it isn't always a welcome addition. "End Of Humanity" on the other hand is a great diverse closer that is soft, eerie, and settles the album on a disturbing note that really tingles the spine. Like a Twlight Zone show gone insane, 'Embryonic Anomaly' takes technical deathcore in a slightly new direction that may not seem as furious a Decrepit Birth or a mathcorefest like Meshuggah, but it is a well placed attempt at trying to make a heavy, solid album that rises above the usual generic chuggers that can get tossed into the market these days. This isn't perfect, but Rings Of Saturn already have half their body through the door as opposed to a finger or foot, so they are well on their way to success.
- Seized And Devoured
- Invasion
- Abducted
- Final Abhorrent Dream
- Corpses Thrown Across The Sky
- Embryonic Anomaly
- Annihilating The Pure
- Grinding Of Internal Organs
- End Of Humanity
Label: http://www.uniqueleader.com
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Oct 3, 2011
Oct 3, 2011
Next review:
Raven Throne - Eternal, Dark
Share this:
