Communic's Waves Of Visual Decay features an array
of styles, including prog-metal, power metal and thrash. Lead
vocalist/guitarist Oddleif Stensland is a good singer with
a range similar to Geoff Tate of Queensryche or even Rob Halford
and Bruce Dickinson. The layered vocals include plenty of
background screams and harmonizing. Each song is carefully
crafted with several transitions and varying tempos. This
is both good and bad because I found it hard to stay focused
on any one song. On the other hand, you have to admire the
band's excellent musicianship and willingness to experiment.
The band reminds me of Dream Theater at times, with their
diversity and classical metal influence. Keyboards by session
keyboardist Endre Kirkesola provide an eerie ambience and
epic feel to most every track. What you come away with is
a feel-good attitude and what seems to be a positive message.
The more you listen, the more Communic draws you in.
"Frozen Asleep In The Park" is a lengthily track which captivates
the listener without any standout chorus or explosiveness.
The band manages to keep your attention by simply playing
music. It's hard to put into words. "Watching It All Disappear"
is an atmospheric, melodic power ballad, while the pounding
thrash opening of "Fooled By The Serpent" gives way to a top-notch
speed metal frenzy. "My Bleeding Victim" features chugging
riffs backed by dazzling, haunting keyboards and cool guitar
effects.This track may be my personal favorite of the disc.
As it is with many other bands that stray from genre to genre,
Communic may not be for every metal fan. This release is not
brutal enough for death metal fans, and you can't call this
thrash or speed metal either. What Waves Of Visual Decay offers is a talented band that cannot be easily categorized.
That alone is hard to find these days. |
