Review Summary: Permillisecond manage to mix groove metal and jazz elements for a truly eclectic debut
Located in the city of Chatanooga, Tennessee, Permillisecond is a "technical groove metal" (as their myspace suggests) band that holds a surprising amount of talent on their EP for 2009. The band recently was signed to Deluge Records, and is now touring with Born of Osiris, so they finally managed to break from the underground.
The EP is only five tracks long, but the intense amount of groove within each song is breathtakingly fresh, and far exceeds anything Lamb of God could ever produce. What makes the band so interesting to listen to is their use of a style called Djent, a technique involving palm muting the low string on a 6-7 or 8 string guitar. The resulting sound is very enjoyable to listen to, and combined with the band's drumming, blends incredibly well.
"Amalgamation" starts off the EP and does a stellar job of introducing the band's tone. It's the shortest of the songs, only being around 2:45, but quickly introduces the wonderful Djent sound, the drum kit's technicality, and the vocalist's range. "Erosion of Thought" begins with, for lack of a better term, an absolutely epic drum intro, before being followed by the familiar groove pattern. The solo in the latter section of the song breaks from just simple scales, and goes well with the preceding and proceeding breakdowns.
"Nullity" continues the aural assault fit with a solo early on and absolutely amazing lyrics and vocal range. Joel's vocals here truly shine as he growls and screams his way through anguish, and the ending chorus throughout the song just sounds incredibly impactful. "Fall again. Into Pieces. Fall again, into piece. Fall"
"Persistance Constant" is one of the faster songs on the EP, and less solo oriented, but definitely has a lot of groove infused breakdowns to satisfy. "Placidity" is my personal favorite on the album and is a perfect finish to this EP. Starting off with an almost jazz laden intro, before breaking into much faster speeds with the drums. Even with the drums, the song is relatively slow by comparison, but perfectly fits with the vocals, which do an outstanding job of delivering the song's message of persevering against overwhelming odds.
Permillisecond is definitely a band to check out, especially so if Deathcore fits your fancy. For sure go to their Myspace and get their EP they put up their for free, it's a great five songs you can get for nothing. And definitely check out their new song they uploaded. This band has a big future ahead of itself.
