BuriedSideYou don’t normally expect a wispy Middle Eastern section tune to be followed by brutal deathcore, but this is what happens here. In fact a lot happens here. “The Elevation” is an exhilarating mixture of growled ferocity in a Middle Eastern framework with djent and luxurious mystical moments. It seems like chaos but the styles mix ok.

This Swiss group’s music reminds me of lively nights out watching Heights and their hardcore chums, but to supplement the boundless energy, triggering drums, and chunky depth, nagging little ditties appear, as happens on “The Judgement” and “The Divine Traveler”. The core lies in the violent and angry depths of the metal. Unusually the lyrics, for which I had to resort to the sleeve notes, are surprisingly mystical: “I am the sands of time …. I am the dawn of skies ….”. Instrumental track “Out of Times” shows more of this side – the buried side, maybe?

The juxtaposition of the brutality with a multitude of progressive and colourful sound patterns makes this a strange affair. I liked the machine-gun djentiness of “Burning Star” but each time you have to take what’s there with the cameos, which in the case of this track includes a nice guitar pattern towards the end. Technical metal intervenes once more on “The Quiet River”, another fine chug-a-long piece of anger and mobile progression. Eastern keyboard delights join the heavy djent on “Towards Infinity” and provide a glitteringly dark final touch.

Strange as it may seem with so many influences and insertions, the pattern became familiar after a while so “Heading to the Light” doesn’t seem so chaotic as it had done at the start. It’s not a long album at 36 minutes but it’s lively, but with its deathcore and other touches, it’s an interesting one.

(7/10 Andrew Doherty)

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