Payment of Existence

Communic is a band that has had a unique and distinctive sound throughout their lifespan. As some have sardonically pointed out, this has been a rare trait in the modern progressive metal genre. Payment of Existence is their third release, can it live up to the standards they have established?

Yes, it can. The notable caveats in a band sounding distinctive is the risk of deviating too far from its established musical neighbourhoods while being able to make music that pleases its listener. Progressive music lends itself to this dichotomy quite easily, yet, the question that begs to be asked is: can Communic?

Their heavy, sometimes thrashy, unique sound doesn't only come from the rather eccentric production, but also from the vocal talent of Oddleif Stensland. Although the amount of choir recordings hinges on excessiveness at times, he manages to deliver a sonic barrage that is enough to convince the most incredulous of listeners.

The music itself follows closely the typical–or atypical–trademarks of the progressive genre, there's a lot of variation going on and the songs have interesting structures, which curiously have been done well enough that they manage to maintain one's interest throughout their considerable lengths. Becoming of Man is one of these songs, and with it's terse but catchy chorus it's one of the highlights of this album.

The album is riddled with complex passages, not all of which don't unveil themselves to the listener on the first time, thankfully. While some of the songs can feel trudgy, there's enough movement, so that the the listener doesn't get stuck.

Make no mistake, this is a good recording. Communic surely wants you to relax and sit back and enjoy the adventure that is Payment of Existence. While the adventure is not perfect and there's a few bumps in the way, the whole is solid enough to satisfy yours truly.

After two great releases in a row Communic is definitely established among the best and most promising acts in progressive metal. There's no denying the appeal of the mix between heavy, hooky aggressive riffs and clean melodic guitar parts. Sadly, the expansion and growth of their sound hasn't really continued on this disc.

The pool of ideas and songwriting in general isn't bad, the band has just watered out its signature sound. I can't point out a single detail here that can't be found on the other two discs. It's the same mix of distorted thrash/heavy metal riffs and clean guitars they've always had, it contains the same emotional vocal patterns as well as the same strucutred repetitions of different parts.

Guitarwise most of the riffs and clean parts are decent or better. They're just not as good and gripping as the ones usually found in this band. Opener "On Ancients Ground" is a good example of how Communic seems to have passed its creative peak. The riffs are Metallica-like, quite droning and not particular engaging. It keeps moving but fails to really hit the listener. This is the case with many of the tracks; It just feels rehashed.

The band really manages to wake up a few times on the record though. "Unpredictables of Life" is a fantastic song that's definitely among the best in the full discography. It's a pretty typical Communic song, only it has that quality that most of the other one's lack. It engages the listener! It has great emotion plus some well needed aggression. The "Material - Scorn!" part is just pure headbang material. More of this, please.

"Becoming of Man" also gets going in places and by far gets the price for second best track. Warning though, it sounds a lot like "They Feed On Our Fear" from the first disc. I can't deny it's in the same league though. Oddleif carries it with pure majesty through both calm and aggressive parts. He has an undeniably characteristic and powerful voice and remains the best element throughout this disc.

My criticism is simply that these two songs are the only ones who would qualify for a place in their earlier albums. "Payment of Existance" is not a bad disc by any means, it just fades in comparison to what this band truly is capable of.

For anybody familiar with Communic who's been looking forward to their third album, there's no reason for disappointment here. While Waves of Visual Decay was a significant evolution from Conspiracy in Mind, with Payment of Existence, they've taken the formula that made Waves such an absolute winner and run with it, barrelling through pretenders and scenesters like ninepins. So you can expect an album that frequently twists and turns as it heads from one long, intricate song to another, with many expertly laid layers to sink through, all the while boasting a bigass sound that hits you square in the chest when they let loose.

On hearing the album for the first time, I went, “Ah. Well, it sounds like...Communic, I guess. Pretty cool.” It was only on the third listen or so that I was going about my business when the massive stomp of a chorus from On Ancient Ground slammed home and then I was thumping on my desk, going “Goddamn, this is awesome!” It's like Communic don't even write songs, they make little audio detonation devices that trigger after a designated number of play-throughs and blow your mind from the inside out. Now I can't get them out of my head – I'm still undecided as to whether this is excellent songwriting or subversive mental infiltration.

Bottom line, it's not uncommon to feel a twinge of disappointment, even, on the first listen, only to have it steadily replaced by a dawning realisation that somewhere along the way during subsequent spins, you've gone from appreciating the music to positively revelling in it. While you could find a semblance of verse-chorus-verse formats in most of the songs, there's no guarantee how long it'll serve you, since they frequently abandon early parts of the song and simply move on, never to return. The upside is, once you start getting comfortable with the route they're taking, and the songs themselves start running grooves in your mind, you start to notice a lot more. There are entire parts that you missed the first time around, there's interplay between the guys that you overlooked, and all this jumps out and smacks you in the face. I can't think of too many metal bands who can pull off layering of this caliber. The more astute among us may fast-forward to that euphoria on first listen, but I think it's more fun my way.

Sonically, Communic doesn't show any signs of letting up, functioning as a lean, mean killing machine – riding furiously hard, kicking ass and taking names all the while. All the songs are tightly packed with incisive riffs spaced out with the odd melancholy lull, whip-snapping effortlessly with the coil and release of tension. Each of Oddleif Stensland's monstrous riffs sounds gargantuan enough to flatten you and your house, and collectively, they are the kind of force that swallow cities whole; the stuff of legend. Tor Atle Andersen rides shotgun enthusiastically for the aggro parts, and what a job he pulls off – punctuating off-kilter beats as the band barrels downhill towards a glorious collision and anchoring the hull while they swerve around to slam through from one passage to another. Erik Mortensen is more of an unsung hero – like the others, he plays for the song and not any virtuoso bragging rights, so it's easy to lose track of him in the chaos. Once you start paying closer attention though, you notice how his subtle variations and deviations from Stensland's guitar lines add so much to the buildup and progression of the tunes. Just one more reminder how the interaction between these guys is almost telepathic and it's sometimes possible to forget that the band is three separate individuals and not one organic entity.

Stensland's vocal attack shows signs of being further honed into a multifaceted instrument, slicing and punching its way through massive stone-carved riffs when the mood is dark, as well as dancing its way around the instruments during the more serene passages. Intelligent and judicious use of harmonies and different octave backings doesn't hurt, either. Hearing a guy like him claim that earlier in his career, his bandmates complained because his “singing was so bad” is enough cause to give every mediocre singer hope that someday they too could be awe-inspiring wailers.

While the observant listener will notice familiar refrains returning from older songs, it never rises to the point of self-plagiarism that many other bands are notorious for. Considering that their writing process involves coming up with great tunes and stitching them together like master surgeons, it's inevitable that some odds and ends end up similar. Check out the 6 and a half minute mark on Raven's Cry, though. That's almost metal Pink Panther.

Though the band and their fans were no doubt hoping that they would pull off the herculean feat of topping Waves, they haven't quite managed that here. However, the margin by which they've missed is very slender, so there's still a good chance that they'll do it in the not-too-distant future. In the end, all of this is nitpicking – if you even have a passing interest in metal, this album is equally mandatory listening. Any way you spin it, Communic looks to be the new face of progressive metal, and as they continue to evolve and become more distinct from their influences, I predict that we're going to be in for a great ride.

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