ALLEGAEON X GOROD

For technical death metal band Allegaeon, sitting still is not an option. The Colorado based group has never allowed itself to stagnate, preferring to thrive on chaos, change and evolution. Their latest full-length offering, The Ossuary Lens, is their seventh but, importantly, it’s the first with original vocalist Ezra Haynes since his 2015 departure following the Elements of the Infinite album. Replacing a singer is no easy task, so the fact that Haynes was in a place to rejoin is something to celebrate. The cleaner vocal approach on the last three albums was a fascinating artistic maneuver, one that refreshed Allegaeon, but it’s undeniably thrilling to hear Haynes’ graveled larynx back in the fold on this inarguably brutal and technically dazzling slab of work. The science-based lyrics are as challenging as the progressive musicianship, resulting in a set of songs that simply slay. It’s a sound that Haynes himself refers to as “melotech” (melodic, technical death metal). “I think in the beginning we were a little more stripped down,” adds Burgess. “Very guitar- forward, focused melodeath. Over time, I think more technical, symphonic and progressive elements creeped in. Finally, where we are today is all of that combined, added with more ambient elements.” While not a concept album in the traditional sense, there is an overarching theme to the new album – the Ossuary Lens is a representation of several different viewpoints of death. As has been the case with much of the A