Review Summary: As profound and groovy as tech gets
If nothing else, Arkaik are masters of groove. Taking their cues from early Obscura and some (more recent) Deeds of Flesh, Arkaik artfully craft technical and intriguing passages using a blend of chord work and crazy percussion rhythms. They somehow manage to hook you with their riffs too. The single “Awaken the I” has an infectious chorus that has been stuck in my head for days. Interwoven into their riffs are often palm muted leads, as has become an integral part of their style. This creates a dynamic sound allowing them to smoothly transition into heavier sections, solos or even jazzy interludes. Arkaik prove to be highly proficient at permeating
Lucid Dawn with an eerie, brooding gloom. The atmosphere is so thick throughout the album, especially in songs like the title track and “Fleshwalkers,” where the lyrics really add to the mood.
I'm normally not against samples or backtracks in metal but they have to be used well, and on this album they are not used well. The intro, for example is a little orchestral piece where you hear strings play an unsettling melody, setting the mood for the album. But they fade into this weird swiveling noise that leads into the first track and it just doesn't flow. Another instance of this is at the end of “Fleshwalkers” where an entire new idea springs up after the song already faded out. It leads into the next song, “Fusion of Epochs,” well but it doesn't belong on the end of “Fleshwalkers.” Also, I had high hopes we wouldn't get stuck with another “Opus Brahmic” but when the music was over there were still 10 minutes left of “Temple Aflame.” It's an awesome song but one that doesn't need eight minutes of silence before clips of lectures about opening your mind start, just the five or six of music and closing would've been perfect.
Overall, I'm not sure if I can say if
Lucid Dawn is definitively better than
Metamorphignition. They both have a very similar sound but, personally, I like the songs on
Metamorphignition more.
Lucid Dawn however, grooves harder and makes a case for stronger songwriting. Arkaik definitely have more focus and vision of their finalized product, as demonstrated by the cohesive themes and atmosphere, which result in a very good addition to the tech death genre.
