The Faceless
Planetary Duality


4.0
excellent

Review

by TomMilligan USER (1 Reviews)
November 26th, 2008 | 11 replies


Release Date: 2008 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A Superbly executed Tech-death album.

Following their explosive debut "Akeldama" The Faceless are back with a more mature sound and songwriting sensibility.

Planetary Duality is a loose concept album, based around alien invasion. Knowing this, and viewing the amazing album artwork (Same artist as Spawn of Possession’s “Noctambulant”) gives off a very spacey feel. The album itself definitely follows this trend.

Planetary Duality introduces a more progressive side to the Faceless, incorporating a diverse range of influences to create an intense tech-death record. Clear influences from Cynic and Necrophagist are heard but they do not overpower The Faceless’ unique sound. Many will be also pleased to hear they have rid themselves of most "core" influences from “Akeldama” but they have done so without losing their trademark sound.

With tech-death instrumentation is always key, and in this department The Faceless do not disappoint. Both guitarists provide a variety of dissonant riffs, chugging and sweeps. Lead guitarist Michael Keene impresses with unique rhythmic style of soloing in nearly every song. Drum wise it is what you expect, a large amount of fast blasting and double kicking. Although not overly unique, the drummer does his job superbly. As with many albums these days the bass guitar is low in the mix, so bassist Brandon Griffin is usually just providing a bit of backing to the guitarists.

Vocally the album has what most other death metal bands do, but Derek "Demon Carcass" Rydquist Is definitely above average and growling, shrieking and the occasional mid-range scream (See Sons Of Belial). Guitarist Michael Keene provides Cynic-esque Vocoder vocal parts, and although they break the monotony of the usual vocal style, they sound a bit, well nasally. In a pre-production demo of “The Ancient Covenant” They sounded less grinding. He also uses clean vocal parts (infrequently) which offer variation but sometimes feel out of place.

The album starts off with “Prison Born” which is one of the best introduction songs I have heard in a long time. In it’s short 2-minute run-time it crams in lots of shredding, a lot of blasting, a small breakdown and a very tasteful solo.

Another standout track for me is “XenoChrist” which starts in a similar fashion to “The Ancient Covenant” and “Coldly Calculated Design” But goes into a very black metal influenced section about 25 seconds in. A “shredding” solo starts at 1:45 and runs into a quieter, more ambient section, which provides a spacey feel. The song closes on a chugging riff with a subtle keyboard melody on top.

With every album, there are always flaws. The main one with this album is the run-time. With a total of 7 songs and two short interludes, the album clocks in at a very short 31 minutes. For some, another flaw will be the presence of breakdowns. But as they are well executed and never feel forced, this isn’t a huge con. The lack of a full time keyboardist is also apparent, and although there are sections with keyboards, they are never as well executed as the parts on “Akeldama”.

Overall “Planetary Duality” is a very high quality tech-death album. Had there been another 2 songs, more keyboard and less irritating vocoder, I would be inclined rate it higher, But I settle with a great 4/5 score. Hopefully The Faceless can overcome these problems and build on this album for their 3rd record.


user ratings (1945)
3.9
excellent
other reviews of this album
1 of
  • Thor (4)
    Planetary Duality is a more than solid next step and a logical progression for the group,...

    iamthenightmare (4.5)
    A diverse and enjoyable tech-death album that will please old-fans and offers enough new ...

    BringMeTheWaffles. (4)
    The Faceless release a truly solid album....

    Necrotica (4)
    A very rewarding sci-fi tech metal album for those who are able to withstand 30+ minutes o...

  • randomguitarist (4.5)
    The Faceless deliver technical brutality and experimental ambiance. One of the most punish...

    vanderb0b (3.5)
    Will this album change your opinion of technical death metal? No. Will it provide you with...



Comments:Add a Comment 
Thor
November 26th 2008


10357 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This review pretty much restated what my review said in the first few paragraphs.

SnackaryBinx
November 27th 2008


2309 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

will people stop thinking this is good.

rasputin
November 27th 2008


14968 Comments


I exactly Snagree with Snackary.

Yazz_Flute
November 27th 2008


19174 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

fuck you guys

iamthenightmare
November 27th 2008


755 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

my review ftw!!!



decent review, but it basically doesn't state anything me or Thor's reviews haven't stated

Tyler
Emeritus
November 27th 2008


7927 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

congratulations iamthenightmare and thor now shut the fuck up and get over it

Thor
November 27th 2008


10357 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Just saying, it's not the most necessary review ever. But thanks for your standard douchebag post Cocaine. This site has been missing those the past few weeks dearly.

TomMilligan
December 20th 2008


3 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Haha I read the other review after I posted this and was like.......that was a waste of time :p

Wizard
December 20th 2008


20564 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Nah, everybody is entitled to have their say, regardless if it exactly reflects someone elses opinion as well.



I kind of like this album now. Wierd!

ManicDemise
April 18th 2009


448 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Love this album, and they are fantastic live.

Phantom
April 18th 2009


9010 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I'm better live



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy