Communic
- Waves Of Visual Decay - Nuclear Blast 2006
7 Songs
Running Time: 57:56
The hammering chord progression that kicks off "Under
A Luminous Sky" soon breaks into midpaced Power Metal
gallop, the stellar production belying the fact that Norway's
Communic are but three strong in the member department.
Guitarist/Vocalist Oddleif Stensland's delivery is shaded
by early Warrel Dane-isms, but his phrasing recalls more
the classic power bands that ruled the early/middle 80s.
Being a guitarist primarily has no doubt given this singer-de-facto
his own sense of timing, and it works to the band's advantage.
Communic has that rare gift bestowed upon few musical entities,
in that the term "genre" holds
no constricting grip on the creative forces at work within
the band. The sound slamming from the speakers is most
definitely Metal, but don't try to label the music any
farther than that. "Frozen
Asleep In The Park" could fit easily alongside Metal
Church's "Anthem To The Estranged" with
its tale of drug addiction, homelessness, and the astounding
ability of the wealthy to look the other way. It's here that
Stensland first truly unleashes his inner scream, soaring
into the Halfordsphere one moment, then barking out a Mustaine-influenced
couplet the next. Subdued, fluid fingerpicking begins the
longing "Watching It
All Disappear", the bass of Erik Mortensen equally as
comfortable flowing along with the Queensryche-ian arrangement
of the
verses as he's been at staying on point during the frenetic
arrrangements of the heavier material found on the two previous
songs. Take the riffery of Death Angel's monumental Act III,
send it to a music theory class or two, then time-warp the
whole thing into 2006, and you'll have a fair aural image
of the stellar power/thrash hybrid that is "Fooled By
The Serpent".
Damned if there's not a bit of MANOWAR in the vocal pattern
of the title track, but rest assured, wimps and poseurs;
you'll find nary a loincloth or pair of assless chaps within
the
ranks of Communic. Musically, "Waves Of Visual Decay" takes
the progressive power the band is known for, marrying it
to the slightest touch of doom metal ala Candlemass sans
the
monk's robe. Tor Alte Andersen's mastery of the drumkit is
unquestionable, especially in the pounding aggression of "My
Bleeding Victim". Andersen's rhythms alternately wind
themselves around a tune's main structure and push Stensland's
off-kilter riff patterns to the brink, yet never lose sight
of the musical
blueprint for the song. Ending with the melodic power of "At
Dewy Prime",
Communic return to Nevermore for at least passing inspiration,
vocal harmonies and well-placed leadwork blending with robust
rhythms to put a final, classy stamp on Communic 2006.
The sound of Communic may come across as
scattered when reading the above comparisons, but the sheer
virtuosity contained within weaves the whole tangled
web into something not only credible, but downright vital.
If there's any justice in the world, Waves Of Visual Decay
may well be someday mentioned alongside The
Warning and Dead Heart In A Dead World as undeniable classics
in the realm of power-based metal.
www.communic.org |
