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Allegaeon > Fragments of Form and Function > Reviews
Allegaeon - Fragments of Form and Function

Okay, but pales in comparison to later releases - 70%

PorcupineOfDoom, March 30th, 2015

The other two Allegaeon albums are both absolutely killer and both Formshifter and Elements of the Infinite can be considered masterpieces. Their first effort Fragments of Form and Function isn't really up to the same standard though, and personally I find it to be weak in comparison.

One of the reasons that I make a decision like that is probably due to the genre that the band are playing here. I'm a sucker for all things melodic, but here they seem to mostly skip that step of the formula that made Allegaeon so appealing to me. Basically what's left then is a tech death outfit whose guitarists occasionally go off on a tangent that doesn't do much for me in terms of the emotional connection that I'm looking for. The choruses in later songs like 1.618 and From the Stars Death Came really click with me and both of them are beautifully composed, but we don't really see that kind of thing here. At times it comes close, but it never manages to break free of the tech death mold.

Instrumentation wise, my only real complaint is that the guitars are more focused on power than being the epic things they would later become, and there aren't many soaring leads to get lost in. It's mostly standard death metal riffing, a bit of chugging and some noodling that doesn't do anything for the music as a whole. It's a bit disappointing really, and I did expect more from Allegaeon, even at this stage of their career. Everything else is just as good as the newer stuff, despite this being the first of three different drummers for the band. Maybe you could argue that Brandon Park is better than Jordan Belfast (who plays here), but that doesn't mean that what Jordan does is bad. In fact it is pretty damn awesome, and I'm still in awe of what he does here. The bass isn't too audible on this album, but you can still kind of sense its presence beneath the thick guitars. As for Ezra, his vocals are possibly at their lowest quality here. They remain the kind of not-good-but-not-bad growls that they are on both of the followup albums, but something about them is less appealing to me.

Stand out bit of this entire album is the solo on The God Particle. Seriously, that's just perfection. It's what I want Allegaeon to do with every single minute that they have here, but instead there's only that couple of minutes and a few flashes elsewhere. If I was after technical death metal then maybe this entire album would seem awesome to me, but that isn't the case.

Fresh Take on Old Concepts - 95%

hawkmp4, July 22nd, 2010

I won't go through every song in this review, just ones that I feel are representative of the album.

This should be noted- on this release, Allegaeon never meanders through a song. Riffs flow quickly and smoothly so as not to be repetitive. The band's press release states that there is a focus on songwriting- and that is certainly seen here. It is easy to hear influences in their work. Riffs reminiscent of Nevermore abound, as well as harmonised sections with heavy Norwegian influences. Again, the key to Allegaeon's sound is the blending of these influences. Nothing feels out of place.

The Cleansing begins with a Norwegian-influenced intro followed by some riffing tasting more of Sweden. Immediately, the technicality of the guitar work is brought to the front. A short, harmonised fill leads into the verse of the song.

This album is not a concept album, per se, but the lyrics are focused on science and technology. Vocalist Ezra Haynes generally delivers them in the stereotypical melodic death metal scream. Growls occasionally permeate, but this could definitely be a point of improvement for the band.

In the latter half of The Cleansing, a deeply melodic riff takes over and guitarists Ryan Glisan and Greg Burgess play in harmony, before returning to the heavier riffs from the beginning of the song and flying into a solo.

The soloing is, across the board, phenomenal, technical, and tasteful. Both guitarists are capable of noodling, but that is never an issue with the solos. Not much more can be said about the soloing- it has to be heard to be believed.

"The God Particle" is possibly the heaviest song on the album, and is arguably the best drumming performance from Jordan Belfast. Again, the best word to describe this is tasteful. Blast beats abound, but only where appropriate. There is never any issue of the monotony that is "Reign in Blood"'s drumming. A climbing guitar guitar riff makes its appearance in the intro of the song and throughout the rest. A crushing prechorus precedes a remarkably catchy chorus. A solo by Ryan is followed immediately by one by Greg, with a change to a much more melodic atmosphere....followed by the closest thing you'll find to a breakdown on this CD. Again, the songwriting shines through here- brilliant contrasts make the heavy heavier and the melodic more soulful.

"Biomech" begins with an aforementioned Nevermore-esque lick and soon falls into a a memorable verse with the whole band in unison. The high, harmonised fills at the end of phrases in the verses, though, sound out of place and noodly. This is the only instance where I get that feel from the guitar work. That being said, this is probably the catchiest song on the album, and that isn't a bad thing- the level of technical prowess make this much much more than, say, a metalcore single. Roughly through the song, the guitars launch into, dare I say it, a power metal style harmonised lead. Any thoughts of the band going soft are silenced with the crushing verse again.

The outro of "Biomech" is worth singling out. Guitarist Greg Burgess is classically trained and provides a tasteful interlude before the next song. I am trying to avoid using that word, 'tasteful,' but it's unavoidable. It characterises the entire album.

The intro and verse of "Atrophy of Hippocrates" provide an 'old school' death metal feel. This contrasts with the heavily harmonised chorus.

As an aside, I have been using the terms verse, prechorus and chorus. That is not to say that Allegaeon's song structures are the standard 'verse chorus verse chorus solo chorus.' They are extremely atypical, and extremely refreshing.

"Accelerated Evolution" is Allegaeon's masterpiece. It is an appropriate end to a phenomenal album. It begins with a very Norwegian feel which leads into a theme that the band will return to repeatedly in the song. Immediately, the verse is a lower, palm muted take on that hook. The chorus features a melodic lead, which, again, will be reincorporated into the song later. The entire song has a sort of grandiose feel. A third of the way in, the guitars break into a harmonised solo with the first hook as a theme. Yet another solo leads back into the chorus...followed by another solo.

At this point, the second hook is incorporated into a a clean riff played with a delay pedal by Greg. The bassist, who I have yet to mention, Corey Archuleta, plays a fitting and tasteful melodic line against Greg's riff. Corey plays fantastic bass, keeping pace with Greg and Ryan's technical riffs. It is sad that he will be overlooked because of the great ability of the guitarists and drummer.

This interlude brings to mind some of Dream Theater's finer moments. Ryan solos for a period of time, before the clean riff drops out and distorted guitars make a return. The guitarists break into another harmonised solo which leads back into the familiar verse and chorus. The harmonisation makes another return just before the record ends on a pinch harmonic.

The variety that Allegaeon has not only across songs but within songs is what makes this album a great one. Though they have many influences, they manage to blend it together in an original style that shakes any stereotype one tries to throw at it. The songs are thoughtfully composed, not frankensteins of riffs.

That being said, as I stated earlier, the vocals, though fitting to the music, lack the ability to stand out like the guitarists or drummer does. One might also criticise the band for being excessively technical, though I thoroughly disagree. Every technical, dissonant riff has a matching melodic hook.

Anyone who is a fan of any kind of extreme metal should take a listen to this album. This band is standing on the shoulders of giants- any fans of those giants will find plenty to like in Allegaeon's music.