Review Summary: The strength of Waves of Visual Decay lies in its no frills, balls to the wall heavy grooves and superb interweaving riffs...
Norwegian power trio Communic have released what may very well be the best straightforward prog metal album of the new Millennia. Average song length is around 8 minutes and each one of them moves from slow and emotional moments to heavy and technical sequences. The tracks are never so technical as to limit the overall accessibility of the album. This is a big plus for me as the music is easily digestible and goes down very nicely, much like a good bottle of wine.
Solos are included so as to add substance to the overall experience and not to impress any technical prowess onto the listener. This is another big plus in my book as I like it when a band can sit back and let the music breath, not over complicating things for the listener and remaining firmly footed in traditional metal and conventional progressive influences.
When listening to the album you’ll immediately notice the uncomplicated sound created by one bass, one guitar and one set of drums equipped with a double kick pedal. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. If the liner notes hadn’t mentioned that guest musician Endre Kirkesola performed the keyboard work on the album, I never would have known about the keyboards, mistaking them for layered guitar work. But after being made aware of it, I started noticing his subtle work, appearing at just the right moments...awesome!
“Under a Luminous Sky” is about the violence caused by religious fanatics and how the media exploits this madness and ultimately end up creating even more fear. “Frozen Asleep in the Park” is about a homeless woman, abandoned by her family and left to die alone. With such deep felt lyrical content and themes, one can only be impressed with the bands vision and resolve. When Oddleif Stensland sings pensively with his deep soothing tone or rages in angry outbursts with a clean higher octave voice, you can feel his pain.
Waves of Visual Decay is a very different listening experience, more relaxing and more thought provoking all at the same time. When the band switches tempos, they do it smoothly and progressively; they’re not in any hurry to rush through each and every song. The flow is progressively measured and not urgent and frantic like the music we find on say Into Eternity’s The Scattering of Ashes. Sure there are intense moments with some unexpected twists which will grab your attention and occasionally cause you to bob your head up and down, but you’ll probably enjoy this album more sitting down with a cold beer in one hand and your feet up on a foot stool. I know, I still do!
