Review:

on 2009-07-31 Archelon Said:

A stunning journey of a debut album from a very talented Reading trio. No Made Sense have already worked up a cult following with their self-titled EP in 2007, but the scale of 'The Epillanic Choragi' can only be described as epic.

The album and indeed all the songs from it are exquisitely titled with elaborate nonsense words, which only serve to confuse before the groaning 'Wake of Syr' lurches up out of the gloom, and your attention is caught. And it is damn well held. As you come to terms with the dirty noises you are thrust in the heavy-as-gravity riffs of the title track, which is like the bastard love child of Neurosis, Ovid and science fiction's worst nightmare. The sheer scale of the madness is seemingly impossible for a mere three-person act to generate.

'Entases Of Azure' is my second favourite track on the album purely for its ability to lighten the experimentation and go nuts with the great vocal and physical pleasures of metal. The din varies from melodic to batshit insane - it just never stops. Even with the tribal-beats beginning of 'Malachis Depths', you feel that something is coming and sure enough, it rears up in the form of frontman Leo Denett's roar of despair that sounds like something from the depths of the abyss. My first favourite track has begun. It then descends into 13 minutes of noise that morphs from genre to genre, from era to era - it's pure, warped bliss.

'Aciculaccolith' (which I can't even pronounce) bubbles with strange piano and more sci-fi-esque noise, and is altogether a very pleasant experience - intricate and interesting but still managing to go off in random new directions. 'Elico Moieties' then hits like an apocalyptic earthquake, with a little technology thrown in for good measure, and I'm officially lost to my stereo. As the last piano tones of 'Wake of Syr II' sink out of ear, I find myself equally exhausted and addicted.

In essence, the result of all this mind-bending soundwork is to create a fully-grown, cannabalistic BEAST of a metal album. Somewhere in Reading is an entire book full of these guys' ideas, and the good news is that I don't thinkthey are even two pages into it. They pull out the kind of sound that is garunteed to make modern metal sit up and slap themselves in the forehead for not thinking of it. It's extreme but accessible, progressive while still being incredibly listenable and seems to have taken on a life of its own throughout the album.

And for a debut? No question about it - No Made Sense have officially just raised the bar.
Rating: 9/10

on 2009-07-31 Archelon Said:

Wicked :)
Rating: 9/10