Akurion are somewhat of a Montreal metal supergroup, made up of current and past members of established outfits like Cryptopsy, Neuraxis and Cattle Decapitation. Though the band was formed in 2012, Come Forth to Me is their debut full-length album, preceded only by 2015 single "Yet Ye See Them Not," of which a re-recorded version, "Yet Ye See Them," appears on this record.
Side projects and supergroups often don't stay together for more than an album or two, and having to work around the already busy schedules of several musicians can leave little time for them. Still, a full-length Akurion record is better late than never, and Come Forth to Me is a forceful display of Canada's unique brand of technical death metal.
Opening with a nine-and-a-half-minute rollercoaster of sheer brutality and eerie dissonance in "Leave Them Scars," the record is already a hulking behemoth before its second track. The intense momentum built by the opening cut isn't quite replicated on the remainder of the album, but there's plenty more to enjoy, particularly where Rob Milley's meticulous guitar work is concerned. The record also displays an impressive amount of musical diversity, from the oddly calming "Souvenir Gardens," the mystically immersive "Wallow in Magnificent Pity" and the aggressive attack of "Bedsores to the Bone," to the epic, genre-spanning closer, "Kingdom Overcome."
The mix, crafted by Jeanne Artemis Strieder, is raw and explosive, but unfortunately, Mike DiSalvo's vocals are too quiet most of the time. The meaty guitars and bombastic drums sound huge, but the vocals should get equal treatment, as they're every bit as powerful as the instrumentation. Still, the quality of the music ultimately makes up for this production misstep. Akurion aren't reinventing the wheel here, but this is Montreal technical death metal done right.
(Redefining Darkness)Side projects and supergroups often don't stay together for more than an album or two, and having to work around the already busy schedules of several musicians can leave little time for them. Still, a full-length Akurion record is better late than never, and Come Forth to Me is a forceful display of Canada's unique brand of technical death metal.
Opening with a nine-and-a-half-minute rollercoaster of sheer brutality and eerie dissonance in "Leave Them Scars," the record is already a hulking behemoth before its second track. The intense momentum built by the opening cut isn't quite replicated on the remainder of the album, but there's plenty more to enjoy, particularly where Rob Milley's meticulous guitar work is concerned. The record also displays an impressive amount of musical diversity, from the oddly calming "Souvenir Gardens," the mystically immersive "Wallow in Magnificent Pity" and the aggressive attack of "Bedsores to the Bone," to the epic, genre-spanning closer, "Kingdom Overcome."
The mix, crafted by Jeanne Artemis Strieder, is raw and explosive, but unfortunately, Mike DiSalvo's vocals are too quiet most of the time. The meaty guitars and bombastic drums sound huge, but the vocals should get equal treatment, as they're every bit as powerful as the instrumentation. Still, the quality of the music ultimately makes up for this production misstep. Akurion aren't reinventing the wheel here, but this is Montreal technical death metal done right.
