Communic

Conspiracy In Mind
Nuclear Blast

7 Tracks; 57:42; Progressive Thrash

I have never heard of these guys prior to this review, so I did not have a clue what to expect. When I put it in, I was knocked on my ass. This is some kickass material, very unique, and very impressive stuff. Communion are from Norway, and they are called Progressive Thrash/Doom. I don't see a lot of doom elements within this music, mainly prog/thrash, but that doesn't make it any worse. This stuff is awesome.

Many people would compare this stuff to Nevermore, upon first hearing them, and that makes sense. They sound a hell of a lot like Nevermore, but to my ears, they do it without ripping Nevermore off. The songs are all over 6 minutes, with the longest, 'Silence Surrounds' clocking in at 10:54. This is some epic stuff. Yet none of it gets boring in the least.

The only downside for me is the vocals, the music is really good, but the vocals seem way off every now and again. But, as the album progresses, I find the vocals, done by vocalist/guitarist Oddleif Stensland, really fit the music. The album starts off very fast, and with one of the heaviest sections on the album, and it keeps that awesomeness going through the whole thing. This is a great release, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Nevermore, or anything of that sort.

Rory Kennedy