Style: progressive metal, symphonic death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Scar Symmetry, Children of Bodom
Review by: Andrew
Country: Israel
Release date: 4 January 2020
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the January 2020 Part 1 issue of The Progressive Subway.]
Not much information is available about Future Indefinite. They are a progressive death metal band from Haifa, Israel and seem to only have two members. They have one EP from 2012 in addition to their debut album, Oculus. They don’t really seem to have an online presence at all either. So I’m going into this knowing basically nothing. Anyway, let’s get started.
At over an hour long and with 17 tracks, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Oculus opens with “Chapter I: Entropy”, an orchestral overture that sets the scene for the next hour of music as well as introducing the album’s storyline. I’ll get back to the story in a bit – for now I want to focus on the music. The next track, “Impact”, is a spoken word piece in the style of a radio broadcast, meant to further introduce the plot and build suspense for what’s to come. If you were wondering when the metal would kick in, “Mayday” immediately answers that question with heavy-hitting harsh vocals over some chunky riffing. Radio broadcasts and orchestral interludes are scattered throughout the album, providing exposition and plot progression. “Mayday” is a perfect foreshadow of the rest of the album – brutal screams, soft cleans, and everything from blast beats to slow, clean guitar – it’s a true potpourri of sounds that come together excellently.
The next couple of tracks follow this trend, with more radio broadcasts and orchestral interludes interspersed throughout. The centerpiece of the album is track 9, “Virres’val.” Coming in at over 11 minutes long, this behemoth demonstrates everything Future Indefinite is capable of. However, some of the riffs start to blend together which hinders the sense of progression throughout the song. This is a repeated issue in Oculus (as well as a lot of melodic death metal in general) which detracts from the listening experience slightly. Despite this lack of uniqueness among riffs, the symphonic backing tracks and ripping guitar solos provide a sense of separation that the riffs themselves fail to provide.
“Taste of Freedom” is the last true metal song on the album – the remaining four songs are instrumental orchestral pieces to close it out. I was disappointed that there was no true closer – the album ends in a very unsatisfactory fashion. “Taste of Freedom” is great for what it is though. Earlier, I said I’d get back to the story. If you haven’t guessed by now, this is a concept album through-and-through. From what I have been able to surmise, (no lyrics are available online) the story revolves around a group of comets impacting the Earth, causing what remains of humanity to leave the planet on a spaceship called The Valkyrie. There is then an uprising on the ship causing a group to take over and enslave the remaining humans. The now-enslaved people then rise up against their rulers and take back their freedom. Don’t quote me on this because it might be completely wrong. I think the story is really unique and the music is well-suited to tell it.
Despite its shortcomings, Oculus is a fantastic symphonic progressive death metal album and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it for this review. I wish more information on Future Indefinite was available so I could know more about what I am listening to. Oculus is a very solid debut album and it’s clear that a ton of work has been put into it by the band. Go listen to it.
Recommended tracks: Fall of the Valkyrie, Virres’val, Symbiosis
You may also like: Warforged, Winterhorde
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Future Indefinite is:
– Samond Doe (clean vocals, lead guitars)
– Matt Fox (rhythm guitars)
With maybe also:
– Daniel White (harsh vocals, bass)
– Matthew Feldman (drums)
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