Welcome to Unaligned.
Following their debut independent EP in 2022, Taylor Tidwell (guitar, Visitant, Withered Throne) and Andrew Guia (vocals, Withered Throne) are joined by Shane Dreher (guitar, Nightspake), Cole Daniels (bass, Demon King, Fleshbore) and Jack Blackburn (drums, Killitorous, ex-Inferi) sign with Transcending Obscurity Records, where they release their debut album, A Form Beyond, illustrated by Adam Burke (Artificial Brain, Bell Witch, First Fragment, Hath, Mare Cognitum, Hooded Menace…).
The album kicks off with the mysterious Entities of Ash, a dense and thick opening track that sweeps over us and unleashes all its complexity, coupled with furious vocals that fit perfectly with the lively approach. Prog elements are never far from the almost constant rage, as on Unbecoming of I, which immediately offers heady but chaotic leads to complement the thick rhythm section. There are still a few softer but piercing melodies before a rather raw finale, then Ruins of Lunacy offers us rather unhealthy tones that go hand in hand with wild screams, reinforcing the combo’s darkest influences, which are once again forged with great dexterity on A Form Beyond, the eponymous track. While the intricate riffs are one of its strengths, it also offers us one of our first moments of respite with its disturbing break, which colors the entire composition with its aura before joining Essence Erased and its soothing cosmic introduction. The vocals give it a whole new atmosphere, followed by the return of the heavy rhythm that prevails, not without an oppressive dissonant touch that follows us on Spirit Dysmorphia, a track with jerky patterns that takes on an intoxicating touch on its choruses. The mix is perfectly paced, alternating between violent phases and dreamy moments, but Death Entwines Us All takes its place and lays down a few anguished notes before hypnotizing us in turn, then unleashing its irregular and aggressive patterns over which the vocalist lets loose. We continue with the whispers of Dreaming in Decay, which herald the suffocating atmosphere that follows and holds our attention before the heavy finale that closes the album.
Fans of complex and oppressive Death Metal will be in heaven with Unaligned, who have created a hellish album. A Form Beyond is not for everyone, but those who play it will remember its legacy.
85/100