A revelation hit me within a riveting first listen, this record is a labor of love. Returning twelve years on from a forgettable Vices.Virtues.Visions, these Dutch musicians reunite armed with ten stellar cuts of Raunchy at their best. The band's embrace of Trance and Dance elements swirled into a fusion of Groove Metal, Industrial Metal and Metalcore never caught on with the metal masses. One of many talented acts propped up by Nuclear Blast Records, they always strike me as overlooked.
My recent delves into musical creativity illuminated the composing behind these songs. The creation process between bandmates must have been a joyous process. Prisoner oozes with octane chemistry! Christensen and Semesky have distinct voices that routinely dazzle through inspired harmony. So often do they punctuate the mood and peak emotions. However, these moments are earned by momentum. Engaging paths are forged between intrepid drum grooves, flashes of electronic club music, subtle soundscape design elements and of course, romping metallic guitar riffs!
With cohesion a plenty, we traverse intensities, swaying from bursts of industrialized heavy, to gleams of melodic glisten, with many shades between explored. Its a delight, engaging from front to back with plenty of arrangements and hook to get caught on.
Highlights include a classic infusion of Club music on the opening Frostbite, their quintessential motif. Masquerade's delightfully catchy opening mid tempo "la la la" leads into a fiery cut. Revealing I groovy breakdown and tense melodic pivot a tempered theatric crescendo of sorts. I love how it melts into folkish acoustic guitars. The twelve year wait explains itself, a brew bottled up for too long, finally let loose.
Rating: 8/10