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Trying to separate itself from what is known as rock and roll - the prototypical father of all rock and modern metal styles - the darker manifestation of metal music of today, as a whole, is keen on chopping the branch on which it sits, so-to-speak, alienating itself from the happier party-material, that which rock and roll has been identified with in its early years (and rightfully so, for metal music need not have anything in common with rock n' rock). Metal music, as the flag-bearer for all expressions of dark music, has seldom managed to really create this utter differentiation between its allegedly darker tones and the aforementioned rock and roll music. Often, it fails bitterly in doing so, manufacturing, more often than not, a stale product that is too happy for its own good and a few traces of distorted electric guitar is the only substantial barrier that separates this quasi-metallic product from, let's say, Elvis Presley…
Such is the case with most black metal outfits of today. Black metal, the most (over) populated genre of them all, and ironically, the most difficult of them all to create (the atmosphere, the depth, the spiritual characteristics) is also the best selling point in today's metal world. Oh, that and the adjective 'progressive' maybe…
So what happens when a label proclaims its band being a progressive, melodic and dark black metal masterpiece? You just know nothing good is going to result…
Axamenta is a very, very ambitious band that overloads its album - Ever-arch-I-tech-ture - with enough elements that will suffice a couple of other album, and then some... Instead of focusing on the 'metal' element, creating a heavy, multi-layered, melancholic and genuinely dark atmosphere (go learn from bands such as Weakling, Wolves In the Throne Room, The Ruins Of Beverast, Negura Bunget et cetera), Axamenta neglects this element all too often (and settles for a bland thrash/power metal approach guitar-wise) and drives its energies towards the 'progressive' direction that is, in the end, nothing more then above-average keyboards manipulation and some electronica that's been added. Is it only filler to the music? Not quite, however it feels as if the abundance of sounds here do not stick to one another, the progression is forced, non-organic and fails to elevate the album to the higher realms of excellence.
Now, the atmosphere: It's really absurd to title this album as being black metal. It is NOT black metal by any means; it is a very, very happy, saccharine album, far and away from any hinted darkness and what more, is that Ever-arch-I-tech-ture has a strong affinity to any pop product; it's extremely accessible and melodic, too melodic for its own good. Everything here is done so right – that in the end, the outcome is just wrong. There are tons of potential, musicianship, song-writing and some ideas and are screaming to be exploited, however the ambiance is too fucking jolly, the approach is of excessive niceties and conformism and as above mentioned: there is too much rock n' roll here and too little metal.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Incognation |
| 2. Demons Shelter Within |
| 3. Ashes To Flesh |
| 4. A Nation In Atrophy |
| 5. The Midnight Grotesque |
| 6. Prophet Set To Witness |
| 7. Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture |
| 8. Threnody For An Endling (feat. Daniel Gildenlöw) |
| 9. Ravager 1.6.6.3. |
| 10. Of Genesis And Apocalypse |
| 11. Foreboding |
| 12. Shackles Cross |
| 13. The Omniscient |
: 63.52
| Buy other Axamenta albums |
