Detailed Reviews [Impious - 2004 - "Hallucinate"]

Prolusion. Sweden's IMPIOUS aren't novices on the Metal scene. "Hallucinate" is their fourth CD, though it marks my first acquaintance with the band. Their previous albums are: "Evilized" (1999), "Impious II" (2000), "The Killer" (2002).

Analysis. The Techno Thrash-based Death Metal they perform hardly shines with something strikingly innovative, but it's not in the least derivative and is interesting enough, so I am far from the thought to call it a mediocrity. Each of the musicians is very skillful technically, and their joint performance is also top-notch. The highly intricate work of the rhythm section in combination with meaty, intensive guitar riffs, machine-gun fire-like guitar and bass solos and a rich growling won't leave fans of extreme Metal bored. A combination of the principal vocal timbre and falsetto, such as on Infernique, enriches the overall musical palette, as well as the brave introduction of Oriental coloring on Show Me Your God. The complication of the arrangements occurs by growing, and the music reaches its progressive peak closer to the end. The dark, yet, beautiful riffs, a felicitous combination of the powerful sound and silence, the unexpected, intricate development of the initial theme are hallmarks of the next to last track, Bloodspill Revelation, making it one of the most impressive compositions here. However, the 9-minute closing number, Suicide Park, is even better, and not only because it's almost thrice as long as any of the other tracks, which, though, almost always implies the presence of large-scaled arrangements. With the emotionally strained atmosphere, the orchestra-stylized parts of keyboards, and the hypnotically mysterious final with ringing bells, this excellent dark Prog-Metal is something I would like the entire album would've been about.

Conclusion. I haven't heard the band's previous albums, but it's clear to me that Impious didn't exhaust their creative potential thus far and are still far from stagnation. The album is recommended to anyone appreciating a highly technical extreme Metal.

>KW: February 20, 2005