There seems to be a Norwegian movement of quirky melodic Progressive Metal bands. Green Carnation, Audrey Horne and on a different level Atrox come to mind. Communic are very much part of this company, creating songs but doing away with set rules to the advantage of the atmosphere and the music. Here on “The Bottom Deep”, Communic’s fourth full album, the structures are typically clean and classic but you never quite know which way they’re going to go.
The album starts with a piece of energetic piece of Prog Metal but it really bursts into life with the second track “Denial”. It starts like a sophisticated mid-section or ending. A smooth and dark tone is set. The track emerges as dramatic, powerful, complex and gripping. It’s also unusual. The vocals are full of expression and the instrumental support is rich. This whole album is a land of riches. I sat up and took notice. The unmistakeable comparison is there with the aforementioned Audrey Horne and in particular with Green Carnation. “Flood River Blood” and “Voyage of Discovery” take us into different territory. “Flood River Blood” provides variation with its acoustic melody and wistful air. The vocalist sounds eerily like Green Carnation’s and now Tristania’s Kjetil Nordhus. The band allow themselves time. “Voyage of Discovery” is another atmospheric feast. Like a gentle wind changing direction, it sways back and forth in that psychologically deranged, sinister, imaginative and technically excellent fashion. Quiet and acoustic at one moment, it bursts into electric fury. If there was a concept of coherent variety, here it is. The singer beseeches us in a not dissimilar way to Nevermore. Then there’s total change as “In Silence With my Scars” starts up. It’s slower but no less effective than what has gone before. This track has a haunting and repetitive rhythm. There’s a constant appeal to the senses on this album. Here it’s to the emotions. The heaviness meanwhile creeps up but never letting go of that rhythm. “My Fallen” is in a Power Metal style but it’s not of the trivial kind. It’s a sweeping track. The band display their wares at this point with a range of styles. The dramatic, arena-style “Destroyer of Bloodlines” is more bombastic and chunky, while “Wayward Soul” is another soulful song with a lush, engaging rhythm and passion-driven solos. This was my favourite track. It’s intense but in a way to allow us to share.
“This is the end … looking down on an empty shell … we have reached the end my friend”. I should have expected this. The final track, “The Bottom Deep” is shatteringly sad and melancholic, enhanced by orchestral and delicate acoustic accompaniment. “The Bottom Deep” is the album title. It’s now clear what it’s all about.
I didn’t latch on to Communic when I saw them live at ProgPower a few years back, but I really got this album. The craftsmanship is superb. At times I felt it was turning into an offshoot of Green Carnation in its ambiance and sound, but it’s not about other bands or genres. “The Bottom Deep” goes beyond that. It is a very powerful work.
http://www.communic.org
http://www.myspace.com/communic
Andrew Doherty
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