These Canadian technical death metal merchants began life in 2007 under the name Defenestrated; a name which I assume was influenced by the first Cryptopsy album. Shifting monicker to Archspire in 2009, the band eventually released its debut ‘All Shall Align’ in 2011. As a result of the positive responses to that release, Archspire is now signed to SoM alongside fellow countrymen Gorguts and Beyond Creation (check out the review of their last, crushing album on this very site). Described as “a definitive statement of intent” by their new label, all signs point to ‘The Lucid Collective’ being something rather special. And indeed, it is.
Somewhat belying its true nature at the start, the music emerges with more than obvious echoes of modern day Obscura. But as things rapidly heat up (and boil over) we are confronted with crazed technical death metal more along the lines of Origin. Evoking memories of both the slickest and most intense death metal entities almost simultaneously is certainly no mean feat. Of the two styles, it’s certainly the latter that I lean more towards: the insane drumming, guitar sweeps and deranged solo work in opener ‘Lucid Collective Somnambulation’ come across as heavily inspired by the Kansas terrors. Although there’s also something else to Archspire’s take on death metal which particularly pleases this grunting primate: namely, echoes of Visceral Bleeding – in the stop/start riffs, vocals and frantic technical outbursts. Okay, so the musicianship is blistering and spontaneous but the most important aspect – as evidenced in ‘Scream Feeding’ – is the fact that here we have brilliantly crafted riffs; the type that drag you helplessly along with them.
As hinted from the off, some similarities to Obscura do appear as the album progresses. On third track ‘The Plague of AM’, the bass runs and harmonious solos absolutely scream of those Germans although these aspects are equally matched with jarring hyper-brutality. With ‘Fathom Infinite Depth’, we again get a consummate mix of technicality, unapologetically flashy musicianship and sheer devastation. This combination of ingredients – delivered just as competently as by any of the individual bands/styles mentioned – ensures that the album’s sense of forward motion is as constant as it is impressive. As an aside, the intro section of ‘Fathom…’ is mildly amusing due to vocalist Oli sounding like Chris Barnes in fast forward as he monologues some crazed babble. Other than that, however, there’s nothing at all to chortle about. The likes of ‘Join Us Beyond’ and ‘Seven Crowns and the Oblivion Chain’ provide perfect examples of lead work/drum abuse, stylistic shifts and the odd memorable refrain such as “You are the six, we are seven…”.
An instrumental, ‘Kairos Chamber’, alternates between subtlety and grinding belligerence, before ‘Spontaneous Generation’ brings this head crushing experience to a close. The insane blasts on this one shred brain matter in a way that seems more intense than anything so far encountered (and are among the best that I can recall on any album, ever). In addition, technical embellishments explode all over, with riffs once again jumping from the mental to the enchanting.
While I’m sure some may argue that ‘The Lucid Collective’ is no more than the sum of its influences, I find that it strikes a near perfect balance between skill and violent death metal force. And for those who do find the likes of Obscura too progressive, or Origin too full-on, here’s something that will bridge the gaps.
(9.5/10 Jamie)
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