DICHOTOMY

Becoming the Archetype - Dichotomy is an excellent addition to anyone's Tech/Extreme Prog Metal collection. This band is certainly not for anyone who is not a fan of the genre. I was so happy to come across this band while browsing through iTunes. The music they produce is brutal and inspirational. This is the first time I've heard a brutal band like this with such a positive message as their foundation.

The music is very technical, with many tempo shifts, and many changes in "heaviness". Some of the changes between heavy/light passages are a little disjointed, and appear to come out of nowhere. The vocalist uses growling/grunting vocals throughout, but has the ability to vary his growling method from low guttural rumblings to high pitch screams. It goes a long way to add texture to each song. A texture that many other bands in the tech/extreme metal genre lack, in my opinion.

Anyone who has ever heard the classic hymn "How Great Thou Art", should hear BTAs take on it. I've heard the hymn done in it's classic form and as a country tune, and although BTA has only borrowed the lyrics from the original, it is truly interesting to hear those lyrics screamed/growled with such passion. It is quite inspirational to have a band such as this use a genre of music that is usually devoted to negativity, for proclaiming their beliefs.

The album was produced by Devin Townsend and his excellent production values shine through. He also makes a brief appearance during Mountain of Souls in the only "clean" vocals on the album.

I would give this album a 3.5 (if it was possible) so I'll be nice and round up.