Minneapolis-based Epicurean released their sophomore full-length “A Consequence of Design” two years ago, but on account of their signing to Metal Blade it has been re-mastered and re-packaged, ready to be disseminated to a much wider audience. And trust me, the wide audience is exactly the target at which Epicurean are aiming. Their sound is directly descended from Scandinavian melodic death, incorporating Soilwork and In Flames, but most strikingly and persistently Children of Bodom, updated with the kind of metalcore kick that only comes from the far side of the pond. It’s big, emotive, powerful and symphonic, and if those are words you dislike, you should steer clear.
If relentless crunchy guitar catchiness, uplifting clean vocals and prominent keyboards in the Scandinavian vein attract you, however, dive right in here without fear of monsters beneath the waves. Opener “The Author and the Architect” will immediately let you know the score; driving, full guitars backed up by glittering, Dream Theatre-inspired keyboards and a balance between a dry death metal howl and a pleasing if not overly strong clean male voice. A clean key sound weaves through the song, showcasing a tight structure, and nothing but absolute comfort is displayed in the face of virtuosity. This is how “A Consequence of Design” goes; “Behind the Chapel Walls” adds neat dual-guitar heroism, “Lithograph” gets a little more thoughtful with a properly sad and cool synth atmosphere, “Of Malice and Majesty” has especially uplifting clean vocals, but these are the mild touches of character that define the songs; underneath there is a standard power-prog melodic-death pattern and Epicurean cling to it.
In general the results will snap your neck without asking permission, but lack the real highs and lows that would add the dynamism which just isn’t quite created by the vocal switches. Although the whole album is punctuated by unapologetically flourish-filled guitar solos- see “Dividing the Distance” for a particularly scorching example- the riffs have a tendency to sit a little flat next to the ever-present keys. Additionally this simply brings nothing new to the table. A lot of the time I find this a redundant criticism, as all bands feed into each other to some extent, but in Epicurean’s case a declaration of independence from European tyranny would definitely be good for their constitutions.
To put it quite simply, if Alexi Laiho and co.’s execrable latest offering harpooned a hole in your heart, “A Consequence of Design” will fill it. For my own part, I’m quite taken aback that there’s a young American band out there with the sheer bollocks to make this unashamedly huge, emotive, symphonic sound, even if it is entirely unoriginal. There is cheese, there is a lack of focus, variety could be greater, technical aspects could be tighter… but this remains an endearing listen that can’t really offend.
http://www.epicureanmetal.com
http://www.myspace.com/epicurean
http://www.metalblade.com
