Don’t let the semi-tranquil title Celestial Complete fool you. Inside the cacophony of sounds, the piano, trumpets and trombones are the only non-heavy instruments played on this record. The heavy metal band Becoming The Archetype are Dacula, Georgia natives and this fourth record on Solid State delivers all the heavy sonic bombast you’d expect from Christians that sound like they could have recorded this in the deepest darkest pits of hell.
From deep dark almost evil guitar riffage, to the slow/fast chug and guttural screams and growls this stuff could easily be background muzak for a torture chamber let alone an 11 song bludgeoning opus to the end of days. Growling, snarling, screeching death metal vocals that could easily rip and tear through a pound of fresh flesh as a vegetarian emo kid lies crumpled sobbing watching in the corner. If this is what Armageddon will sound like, it’s gonna be much louder than predicted.
The monks chant their haunting chorus on the intro Resonant Frequency of Flesh that nicely bleeds into the high pitched/crunchy guitar chorded Magnetic Sky with God Forbid styled vocals and wall reverberating growls. Internal Illumination features Hate Breed yelling with tooth spitting demon screeches, fast and slow guitar chug while playing through knee deep metallic sludge. Elemental Wrath: Requiem Aeternam II is the disc’s catchiest riff winner. Invisible Creature gives a very different/unexpected Middle Eastern flavor. Cardiac Rebellion proves metal, horns, trumpets, jazz, vocals can temporarily coexist without punching each other in the face with UFC gloves and from 3:07-4:20 you’d swear they make you hear a lil bit of Under the Bridge, Zoot Suit Riot, What I Am, Spoonman and Way Cool Jr.
Though half of the words require a lyrics sheet unless you’re fluent in the angry Cookie Monster style vocal pitch, the band does a massively epic job of describing Armageddon better than Bruce Willis and out muscles Arnold on the End of Days. Tracks 5-7 tell a story within a story while the intro and instrumentals provide a surrounding musical terrain all too unpredictable and just when you think you’re ready for another blaze from a vibrating guitar string, the fat lady sings.
But we’re not done yet, not even close. We’re feasting on metal, trumpets, piano and symphony on the same CD, if you’re full tough…. We’re not feather weights so it’s time to make room as the Romans did.
