Trilateral Progression

I've tried. From the depths of my heart i've tried to give Trilateral Progression a lower rating, but I simply cannot. As pained and disappointed as I am with this album, I cannot deny that it is one monstrously ingenious slab of death metal, but, being the Neuraxis fanboy I am, I was expecting nothing less than a modern classic; the pièce de résistance of Neuraxis' career; a recording that would punch the complacency of modern death metal full in the face; a disc that would make more people finally admit that Neuraxis are one of the greatest death metal bands today, if not of all time. But... that hasn't happened, and it doesn't deserve to happen yet, because Neuraxis are still making costly mistakes.

Trilateral Progression was always going to be phenomenally difficult for Neuraxis for one reason alone: it follows in the wake of a rather underexposed gem called Truth Beyond. What Truth Beyond did was blend some form of technical deathgrind not dissimilar but not imitative of countrymen Cryptopsy with a literally astonishing knack for affective, memorable melody. What makes or breaks the deal when these two forms are combined is the recombinance itself; how to craft convincing, ferocious deathgrind without obsoleting the function of opaque melody; how to write the two elements into a single song structure so as not to juxtapose them harshly. What made Truth Beyond such a groundbreaking album was its success in these respects, but the flaw that kept it from being possibly the greatest death metal album in a decade was precisely the same; while some songs were breathtakingly precocious in their approach to combining the two aforementioned elements, others clearly missed the mark.

What this has to do with Trilateral Progression? Well, gibbering fanboy that I was; I was hoping they would grow like any songwriters and meld their ideas more consistently. I was right in a sense, but very wrong in others. Trilateral Progression sees Neuraxis making strong inroads into crafting songs which not only brutally slay with the shifting, unnerving foundation of thrashy technical death; imagine Erosion of Sanity-era Gorguts on speed and acid; but also convincingly and naturally segue into the memorable guitar leads that make them so distinctive and refreshing. Where some songs on Truth Beyond felt awkward due to the abruptness with which one formula was swapped for the other, highlights on Trilateral Progression such as The Apex, Monitoring the Mind and Thought Adjuster are wonderful to behold as they slither satisfyingly from brutality to serenity. Where these highlights fail in crucial comparison to their ancestors is simply this; those melodies are simply not as good as they used to be! They have atmosphere; as much is undeniable, but they are not jaw-dropping; they don't break your nose and gape your mouth with their unprecedented beauty as alarmingly, or even at all, as on the majority of Truth Beyond's material.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the aforementioned songs are indeed overall improvements in terms of the solidity of their song construction, they have also made sure to break the consistency of Trilateral Progression with a pair of songs I can only describe as throwaways, in a tracklisting decision I can only describe as... idiotic. Caricature and Axioms. We are treated to six cool, full-length songs and then they dump those two very short rejects in our shivering, unprepared laps. They are pathetic. They are barely songs. They sound like scraps of leftover ideas for other songs jumbled together piecemeal and thrown onto the album so that it had at least ten tracks. They basically ruin the good flow of the album, and it is only the excellent closing track (The Apex) that heals this grievous wound enough so that a sour taste isn't left in the ear at the end. I just cannot fathom why they put those two... unfinished scraps on there.

So, they're still not learning from their past mistakes well enough! Luckily, there is more to Neuraxis than just brutality and melody. They have an entire package that is difficult to ignore; even the lyrics although quite objectionable, frequently self-contradictory and naively post-Hegelian, are very well written and certainly thought provoking. Words certainly suited to the serene dichotomies of the music they play, and probably the only consistent improvement over the last album.

But...that last album still exists. And it is, in my opinion, much much better than this one. It is, however, an outstanding testament to the quality of Neuraxis that regardless of this, Trilateral Progression is still worthy of being shortlisted for death metal album of the year, if not metal album in general... and all that despite its glaring flaws. Furthermore the fact that those glaring flaws are largely only relevant in regarding Neuraxis itself as a growing entity, and not their contemporaries. So, all said, this IS a great album and worthy of purchase. Just be sure to seek out Truth Beyond as well.

The motto of Willowtip records would be a fitting way to describe one of their newest signings, Canadian death metallers Neuraxis.

The band’s Willowtip debut Trilateral Progression will solidify a place for Neuraxis as leaders in the Montreal metal scene alongside bands such as Cryptopsy, Gorguts and Kataklysm.

Imagine music that blends brutal death metal in the vein of Suffocation, melodic guitar work reminiscent of At the Gates and the progressive song structure of bands like Atheist. With their fourth album Neuraxis has developed this style like a science. The skill and creativity of this work will likely shatter any doubts fans of metal may have had towards the relevance of this band.

Neuraxis has put together a release both heavier and more cohesive than the band’s last album Truth Beyond. At times this album was difficult to enjoy because of moments that sounded arbitrarily composed as if the band’s enthusiasm to write challenging music needed to be focused.

On Trilateral Progression, the songs flow well and compliment each other making it easy to listen to in its entirety. Each moment sounds as if it has purpose. Nowhere is this more evident than in Chamber of Guardians when a guitar riff is used that had closed the previous track A Curative Struggle. It might seem like a bad idea to use the same riff in two songs, but in this context the familiarity adds an element of control to the chaos.

The musicianship on Trilateral Progression is flawless in all departments. The album is full of imaginative and expressive guitar playing that at times borrows from other styles. Black metal influence is found on A Curative Struggle and classical guitar playing is used on Axioms. Thankfully, or unfortunately, depending on tastes, the metalcore influences found on songs like Of Divinity on Truth Beyond, are gone.

Vocalist Ian Campbell has developed his skills to an impressive level utilizing different styles in his intense and passionate performance. His main bellow is comparable to that of former Kataklysm vocalist Sylvain Houde. His other vocal styles include high screams as used in A Curative Struggle, a more guttural, inhaled style as found in Chamber of Guardians and a gruff spoken style found only in Thought Adjuster.

Long-time drummer, Alex Erian, recently left Neuraxis to focus on his other band Despised Icon. On Trilateral Progression, his replacement Tommy Mckinnon has given new life to the band with his tight and versatile performance.

This must be what Neuraxis has been attempting to accomplish since the beginning, to create the perfect balance of insanity and cohesion. It has taken four albums, but they’ve found that balance and made it work brilliantly. Assisted by the album’s beautiful production, the band sounds more confident than ever.

The future for Neuraxis seems bright and full of opportunity. After moving from small Canadian label Galy Records to the more established American label Willowtip, they released an album sure to become a fan favourite. Heightened exposure is coming and Neuraxis have earned it.