Released: 2005
Contrive's debut album opens with an absolute killer riff, the kind that gets inside your head and stays there for hours. "By Way of Choice" marks something of a departure for this Melbourne three-piece, a nice speedy melodic number that boasts more of a Swedish feel than the Sepultura-like vibe of their previous EPs.
Right off the bat, Contrive mixes it up. After "By Way of Choice", they move back into the more familiar territory with "Prepare to Fall" grooving like a bastard after the spoken-word intro and "A Vigil for the Lost" is a darker, brooding piece throwing some light and shade into the mix. "At Ease" is a quiet melodic guitar instrumental from Paul Haug that comes before "Shifting Focus" moves the album squarely back into the musical ground they staked out on 'Prosper' and 'Finally'. It's solid and powerful, with abrasive vocals from Haug and nice work behind the kit from twin brother Andrew, who shows off more of his skills with the Takio percussive piece "Todoroki". There's also an interesting cover of Armored Angel's "Communion" and all hails to an Aussie band doing an Aussie metal cover.
The Meaning Unseen was mixed by Frederick Nordstrom, thereby possessing that sharp, Scandinavian melodic sound, but as decent a release as it is, it gets a tad wearisome towards the end and I felt that some more melody or a bit of lead guitar might have helped break up the grooves a bit more. As it stands though, there is a good amount of diversity on display and it's definitely worth a closer inspection.
Contrive's debut album opens with an absolute killer riff, the kind that gets inside your head and stays there for hours. "By Way of Choice" marks something of a departure for this Melbourne three-piece, a nice speedy melodic number that boasts more of a Swedish feel than the Sepultura-like vibe of their previous EPs.
Right off the bat, Contrive mixes it up. After "By Way of Choice", they move back into the more familiar territory with "Prepare to Fall" grooving like a bastard after the spoken-word intro and "A Vigil for the Lost" is a darker, brooding piece throwing some light and shade into the mix. "At Ease" is a quiet melodic guitar instrumental from Paul Haug that comes before "Shifting Focus" moves the album squarely back into the musical ground they staked out on 'Prosper' and 'Finally'. It's solid and powerful, with abrasive vocals from Haug and nice work behind the kit from twin brother Andrew, who shows off more of his skills with the Takio percussive piece "Todoroki". There's also an interesting cover of Armored Angel's "Communion" and all hails to an Aussie band doing an Aussie metal cover.
The Meaning Unseen was mixed by Frederick Nordstrom, thereby possessing that sharp, Scandinavian melodic sound, but as decent a release as it is, it gets a tad wearisome towards the end and I felt that some more melody or a bit of lead guitar might have helped break up the grooves a bit more. As it stands though, there is a good amount of diversity on display and it's definitely worth a closer inspection.
- By Way of Choice
- Prepare to Fall
- A Vigil for the Lost
- At Ease
- Shifting Focus
- The Meaning Unseen
- Beside Yourself
- Todoroki
- Divided
- Communion
- Relate
Rating: 72%
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