Sullen : " Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion

I would say prog metal is not really my thing , but that would be a lie. This band just takes from corners of the genre that I am not the most fond of bands like Between the Buried and Me and Devin Townsend. Cynic is however where I am most versed in this kind of thing and Iron Maiden who is one of my all time favorite bands kind of wrote the book on prog metal. Cynic is the best point of reference here. Death metal is one of the primary ingredients. The clean sung vocals are multitracked and work on odd harmonies. They are not the catchiest element. There are guitar solos , but this is not a total wank fest. 

It's not until t he actual third song , not counting the interludes on this where we hear the side of the band that is darker and more flowingly melodic that works best for my ears  The melodies are catchier here.

"Memento" gets heavier and has more death metal vocals with a more aggressive stomp. The riffing on this song is more likely to bob your head. The sung vocals seem to just really be into adding to the odd time feel more than a melody to hook you in . These vocals do find a more Incubus like place on the mellower "Human". 

The last song latches onto a more middle of the road metal approach. This is not uncommon in this genre . In fact if you are into prog metal then this album might be a little on the heavier side for you. Though in the big picture it of what metal is in 2021 it is not. That is why I am giving this album an 8. Yes the guys are good musicians and I am sure they translated what was in their head to album, but I think in many ways they played it too safe and fell between the cracks . If this was even heavier then it would have stood out more rather than filling gaps tthat are already occupied.