Cognizance : "Phantazein"

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Leeds-based death metal monsters Cognizance rage with precision on their third album. Three albums in they obviously have mastered their chosen art form. The album sounds big, and their attack's somewhat technical precision is further refined. The sticking point these guys will be tasked with overcoming when it comes to my ears, is their reliance on speed rather than finesse and groove. This gives everything a rushed feel. There is a more dynamic nuance on "Chiselled in Stone", but it still stays pretty brisk, I get hyper aggression is what death metal should be about, but these guys have more in common with Dark Tranquility than Obituary, as there is less of a raw cathartic feeling, and it feels to me more about the riffs and keeping them at a pristine sharpness, rather than allowing some jagged emotion in.

The guttural vocals can be deciphered. For this to be a concept album there has to be a tangible story within them. I pick up bits and pieces, and perhaps if I keyed in on the vocals I might be able to put it all together.  By "Introspection" the hooky riffs that I need to compensate for the single-minded growl of the vocals slowly begin to appear. They lock into the more machine-like chug that brings Meshuggah to mind on "Futureless Horizon", but the need for speed is a tug of war this song fights against. Things are taking much more of a technical slant here. There is no denying the drummer's talents by the time you get to "the Towering Monument". When they are in your face all the time the blur of riffing becomes a dazzling white noise. Rather than just slow things down here and there for a hooky riff, why not write hooky riffs and test the waters regarding at what velocity they are the most effective would seem a better plan of attack.  

"Broadcast of the Gods' does a better job of this, but there is a uniformity that has begun to creep over the band's overall sounds that begins to make the songs all sound a little too similar by this point in the album. For example "In Verses Unspoken' rushes by before I realize I am not listening to the previous song.  Not too mention the goal for these guys and really any band playing extreme metal from any genre would be to tap into something that makes you stand out from your peers. The moments of atmosphere and melody are too fleeting for this to be fully realized on this album despite the band clearly being capable players and well executing what they do. There is no question these guys are capable player who can perform intense and complex arrangements, but for a concept album I am not hearing much being said to me from their playing I will give this one a 7.5. It is being released on the 26th of the month by Willowtip Records.

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