Style: Sci-fi Prog Metal (instrumental)
Review by: Sanity Theorist (guest review)
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 15-08-2020
Divided by Design are a band that merge a surprising range of styles, while bridging them in a way that’s very cohesive and fun. There’s also hints of an atmosphere emerging that I really hope they hone in on, because there’s potential for a sci-fi soundscape in the background of all of this purposeful shredding.
As tempting as it is to do a track-by-track review of this, I want to leave a decent amount of surprises, because the nature of an album like this is how it ebbs and flows between movements in unexpected ways. That said, this is starting to read like a Prog Archives review written by a 13 year old just getting into prog, so here’s some thoughts that came to mind across the release.
The drum fills and subtle bass harmonics remind me a lot of Rush, with keyboard runs that make me think pretty strongly of Jimmy Pitts projects (particularly his work in The Fractured Dimension). It winds and weaves across the rhythms in a similar way, without taking the focus away from the killer grooves that the bassist and drummer get into. I can see fans of Christian Muenzner’s recent solo material loving the synths, though the core of this leans closer towards the more ‘classic’ innovative bands, including a song that sounds built around a re-arrangement of a Cynic song. Some major chord sections pop up that’d make Fallujah blush during their prime, and I adore the way the outros sometimes swell into Between the Buried and Me style finales, with a lot of implied chords and fluid guitarwork. Another major element that has to be mentioned is the band’s mention of VGM influence, and it’s most obvious near the end where the synths take more dominance, never once losing the detail that made the first half so engaging and atmospheric. The final track even reminds me of the finest moments Earthside had to offer, which is something I wish I could say more often. Syncopations are excellent across the board, recalling Animals as Leaders at times. All of this flows together incredibly well, feeling like a super varied symphonic suite.
However, with all of that said, I do have some quips with the production. It does quite lean far enough into the sci-fi VGM atmosphere to pull off the relatively air-y feel the tones have. I’d love to see these guys expand into that or give the tones more of an earthy, bassy foundation. I won’t notch a lot of points here because this is still a young band with little budget, and the synths match with the reverb laden sound quite well otherwise. I just hope to hear the bass and guitar tones more melded to those textures in the future.
Overall, this band is very very fun and detailed, and I can easily overlook some slight production flaws. The songs flow well, the finales feel satisfying and I enjoy this both for atmosphere and active listening, which means this young group are doing instrumental prog exactly how I enjoy it.
Recommended tracks: Orion I, IV
Recommended for fans of: Jimmy Pitts bands (especially The Fractured Dimension), Rush, BTBAM, Earthside, Animals as Leaders
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Divided by Design is:
– Liam Stephenson (guitars)
– Joe Messingham (bass)
– Tom Chambers (drums)
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