DICHOTOMY

While experimenting with many progressive elements with their first two albums, Becoming The Archetype opted this round to keep things pretty straight forward Death Metal. This album contains many elements of prog weaved in and out of the punishing tracks, but this is a Death Metal album all the way. I find this hard to really rate, as I find this one of my favorite albums of 2008, yet it almost doesn't even qualify to be here. I suspect the reason for this is due in part to the choice of Devin Townsend as the producer, becuase it feels like they started out with some real prog ideas, but for whatever reason had too much fun with the Death Metal? Not sure. But there is Prog to be found.. In tracks such as the epic End of the Age, Artificial Immortality, Dichotomy and St. Anne's Lullaby there exist some quite beautiful prog breaks, and embedded keys and atmospheres that add to the sound overall. And this leaves us with How Great Thou Art... This track surprised the heck out of me, and while some may be 'offended' or whatever.. I was blown away and think it's just plain awesome... Praising God is praising God, regardless of the voice, music or whatever. So kudos to Becoming the Archetype. While this doesn't really classify as prog like Opeth or Emerson, Lake and Palmer, it is a Progression in the sense that it has taken what has become a pre-fab genre that once innovated, and breathed new life with new sounds into the now dull and boring Death Metal genre, they have reinvented the genre, in my opinion.