Review Summary: Nausea that's definitely worth getting
Tech metal is a breeding ground for many musicians who wish to display their skills on their respective instruments and create complex music that is dynamic and engaging; this can lead to great compositions being birthed and juicy rhythms to eat up. Unfortunately there can be a fine line for bands in this genre to have their music cross from being intricate works that remain constantly engaging to a platform to flaunt musical ability over structure and composition. So starting off on the right foot is key for any new band that emerges in this genre, luckily Chronographs succeed in this whilst leaving plenty of room for future potential.
Despite being a relatively young band from the UK Chronographs showcase an impressive level of technical ability that is relatively common place for the genre. From the frantic finger tapping opener “Opticks” all members of Chronographs maintain their composure and rhythm, making the EP run full steam ahead with its 18 minute run time. Vocalist Jon displays a style that sees him ranging from rather distinctive throaty screams to more conventional clean sung sections. Whilst he never reaches anything that’s well and beyond what most tech metal bands offer, Jon still fits in well with the music and is more than capable of holding his own. As previously mentioned tech metal bands can have a tendency to delve into the realm of over indulgence and loss focus, Chronographs handles this by letting the music breathe in the many slower, more conventional moments on tracks such as the closing of “Nausea”. This helps assuage the issue of focus and provides a nice contrast to the usual blisteringly fast pace of tech metal creating more compelling songs that feel fulfilling. There are still one or two moments during the EP occasionally where the music may drag and get fatiguing but these only happen on the rare occasion due to the generally short EP length.
Chronographs have shown that they are more than capable of being a player in the tech metal scene with this EP and showcase that they have a lot of potential to grow into something special in the future. Fans of technical metal should definitely check this out.
