Style: Djent (harsh vocals)
Review by: Matt
Country: Poland
Release date: 01 August, 2021
We’re back with the prolific Chaos over Cosmos, whose rapid fire EP release schedule seems to be working out for them. This is a “full length,” but you know… It’s 35 minutes, and 10 of those are a reworking of a previous track. The band continues to exist in a state of flux, changing vocalists, styles, and reshaping past songs. Power metal is entirely out at this point, and chuggy start-stop grooves have assumed control. Most of the album is a vehicle for inhuman Animals as Leaders-style shredding. Note my choice of words.
Look, let’s get down to it: These guitars are fake. I struggled to identify them on the earlier releases, but it’s barely hidden anymore. Anyone with a degree in sweepology could tell you this isn’t how guitar works; even Rings of Saturn or Brain Drill have legato notes, different pick attacks, etc. Maybe it’s recorded at 1/4 speed or something. Whatever method is being employed, something is going on that ain’t rock n’ roll, and I’m kind of blown away that no other metal review sites can apparently tell when a guy is playing a guitar or not.
Anyway, that doesn’t necessarily mean the album sucks – we wouldn’t want to be elitist in prog metal – but the composition has also suffered from this mad lust for notes. Listening to Silver Lining is exactly like when my Necrophagist-loving friend used to send me his Guitar Pros – robotic note spam for minutes on end. Without the marvel of the player’s skill, these endless arpeggioes just become tedious filler. Wait a minute… Is this what normal people hear!?
What this band does excel at, and has been utilizing less and less, is atmosphere. The best parts of the album are easily when the synths come to the forefront, e.g. the end of “The Last Man in Orbit.” This is evident in the last track, The Sins Between the Stars, itself a reworking of The Compass from 2019. Rafal Bowman manages to lay off of the gas for most of this song, opting for a more epic post-rock sound with discernible structure and climaxes. This version is unfortunately marred by Anders Friden-esque whiny vocals, but reminded me of the initial promise CoC displayed a couple of years ago. What was exciting about them was the spacey songwriting and unusual blend of influences, even if it hadn’t all come together yet. Since then, they’ve gradually dropped things that were interesting in exchange for more chugging and sweeping, and it has come to a head on ChuggaSweepathon 2021 here. I’m sure Bowman will find his compositional niche – he knows his theory and puts in a lot of work – but I’m not really on board at this point.
Recommended tracks: The Sins Between the Stars
Recommended for fans of: Animals as Leaders
Final verdict: 3/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Chaos over Cosmos is:
– Rafał Bowman (guitars, programming)
– KC Lyon (vocals)
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