“London tech-metallers Exist Immortal fuse catchy melodies, soaring vocals, epic soundscapes, technical riffs and all-out grooves to create a unique maelstrom of musicianship, which has quickly earned them the reputation of being the UK's rising tech-metal stars.”
This is a quote from the press release sent, along with extracts from other high rating magazines such as Metal Hammer. I’ve personally never heard of this band, so it was a lot to live up to after reading that introducing paragraph.
I can now say though, that they happily lived up to the hype that they’ve created for themselves, with this new release, in the form of Dream Sequence, a 7-track EP/short album. Dream Sequence combines a wide range of elements from different genres, which I haven’t heard a band do in a long time, and it’s refreshing to see it work so well too.
A Timeless Voyage starts the EP, with a slow build up of piano, strings and then hits with a synth part that you’d expect from your everyday metalcore band, which is fair enough, until you hear the vocals hit, which thickens the track. As it builds up, you expect the drop anytime soon, and when it hits, you can imagine the band stood onstage and the room erupting, with guitars and drums you can bounce up and down too, and then a majestic and impressive guitar solo to go with. This is only track one!
Throughout this expedition of musical exploration, you get balls to the wall guitar tones and solos, massive drums, bowel destroying bass and soaring clean vocals, not to mention the devastating screams and lows singer, Meyrick de la Fuente and Tom Montgomery both provide. Stand out track; The Fracture (going into Terminate) is the perfect portrayal of all the things listed above. Immediately hitting with growls un-matched by most mainstream metal acts. The instruments in the back provide snappy djent guitar riffs, with some funky, slap bass punching through the mix in the background. Then throwing in a high-pitched melody from a synth, just to be sure that they’ve covered all the conventions of the genres they smash together to form what is, Exist Immortal.
It’s a real shame that I can’t write a full review, because all in all, it would probably consist of about seven pages, filled with every adjective under the sun. With this EP, Exist Immortal have gained one more fan, and will no doubt gain more fame upon it’s release, combining Enter Shikari synth with Periphery’s guitars and Memphis May Fire’s vocal style. They’ve explored boundaries and broken them to create this unique fusion of tech-metal, which is severely un-appreciated when it produces this kind of band, where each song keeps you enticed and wanting more. But, don’t take my word for it, experience the Dream Sequence yourself when it’s released 28th January 2013.
Adam Jones
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