Axamenta - Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture

Deathmetal.be
It seems to have taken ages, but finally Axamenta released their opus "Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture". They have been teasing the metal community for months with samples on their websites and hints about the concept behind the cd. Expectations were rising high. The band obviously knew they had a masterpiece in their hands. Their newest creation easily meets all the set expectations and even goes beyond.

The cd was recorded in Jacob Hansen's studio in Ribe, Denmark and the Invocator guitarplayer even contributed a solo on 'Ashes to Flesh'. The mixing and mastering was done by Fredrick Nordstrom at the infamous Fredman Studio and by Goran Finnberg at the Mastering Room. No wonder the cd has a killer sound.

"Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture" manages to create the perfect balance between emotion, power and technique. In every respect, this release is a huge leap forward for the band. Epic parts are followed by raw black riffing and high pitched vocals. Progressive death pops up next to an enchanting ballad. And amidst of all this musical violence there is still room for some ingenious solowork. This CD has it all. Still, Axamenta manages to create a musical unity throughout the CD by means of recurring musical themes and the underlying conceptual story.

Axamenta has finally achieved musical maturity and managed to mix very diverse influences - Evergrey, Soilwork, Emperor, Cradle of Filth, Pain Of Salvation, yes even a little Finntroll-touch can be heared - into something completely new that could best be described as 'black progressive'.

The CD also contains the 3 tracks from the promo "Incognation", but in a seriously upgraded version. The drum sound is incredibly pure and heavy, the vocals are much rougher.

I'm not a big fan of concept albums, but as far as I understand the story behind this album, it impresses me. I'm curious to find out more about the main character and the intertwining of several real events in history (the plague, a mysterious 'object' that came out of the sky and destroyed a whole forest in Siberia,...) with this fictional journey of a re-incarnating main character. To underline the story, Axamenta constantly plays with musical themes. Their love for movie scores is apparent throughout the whole album.
My favourite song, after some spins, must be 'Of Genesis and Apocalypse'. It's the longest song on the album and the band also acknowledges that they worked the hardest on it. The used samples contain around 40 different instruments. The way the song builds up is simply astounding. Other great moments on this album are the eerie intro of the album, which creates an atmosphere that I thought only Satyricon could create; the ballad featuring Pain Of Salvation frontman Daniel Gildenlow; the catchy 'The Omniscient' and the extremely disturbing title song. Hell, I love the whole package!!!
Do yourself a favour and check this release out!

[ Discography ]

Label: Shiver | Item Code: Various | | Year: 2007 | Genre: Black Metal