One
year after the release of their debut
album that put them on the map of
power metal, the Norwegian trio is
back with a shout. And if "Conspiracy
in Mind" was the first step towards
recognition, then "Waves of Visual
Decay" is certainly the one that
will establish them as the new power
metal masters.
Obviously "power
metal" is a very broad term,
but one thing’s for sure: Communic
don’t belong in the group of
bands that are devoted to the classical
European power metal sound, even though
they are Norwegians. They like to
bring into play a more transatlantic
approach, creating a sound that I
like to call "Dark Aggressive
Power Metal" in the vein of Nevermore.
Yes it’s true that "Waves…"
inclines a lot to the American power
metal sound of Nevermore and this
is obvious, not much on the orchestration
aspect, but in the way that Oddleif
Stensland sings, which is very close
to Warrel Dane. Still, Communic manage
to create a very personal tone. I
can easily say that their music starts
where the one of Nevermore’s
ends, but they take it a bit further.
They assimilate Nevermore’s
basic musical structure, but they
enrich it with many other elements.
So nobody can accuse them to be copycats.
On the contrary, they blend this prototype
of stormy, venomous riffs with a plethora
of melodic lines, attractive rhythm
bridges and inspiring "dark"
harmonies. Impressive as well, is
the way Oddleif Stensland is delivering
the vocal lines, even though as I
foretold it reminds me a lot of Warrel
Dane, while the production stands
on a very good level.
Some may be displeased
though with the length of the tracks
(7-8 minutes long) and this is the
only, if any, drawback of the album,
but don’t rush to judge. They
may look tiring at first, but they
are hiding musical treasures beneath
their surface. I must admit that generally,
"Waves…" is initially
difficult to the ear, but after a
few spins it sounds stunning. Communic
got the meaning… They have created
a modern power metal ornament. "Waves…"
sets the beginning of a bright future
for both the band and power metal,
that is desperately "looking"
for young, appetitive but most of
all inspired musicians. |
