SARPEDON - Anomic Nation
December 19, 2014, 9 years ago
(Inverse Records)
Looking for a Nevermore fix? Since Warrel Dane and Jeff Loomis put the group on hold in 2011, Norways’s Sarpedon has picked up the reins on their debut album with heavy progressive metal and vocalist Eirik Krokfjord’s deep movements bring to mind Dane. Keep in mind this isn’t anything really new brought to the table, but the world is longing for some solid progressive metal that isn’t drawn out and constantly filled with 7+ minute songs. Drummer Carl Engstrøm sticks out on this album with blast beats and bringing an extreme flavor to the proceedings, giving Anomic Nation a little extra jolt to the engine. The album is melancholic with themes of solitude, being misunderstood and other subjects like being afraid and discovering what’s inside of oneself. The strongest tracks are “The Claustrophober”, which brings some fueled guitar riffs and “My Mysteries Unwind – Part I” and “My Mysteries Unwind – Part II”. The former has a slow buildup and delicate use of the pianos and turns into a banger with soaring vocals and immediately leads into the epic “Part II”. “Part II” is filled with sharp riffs and many musical passages and includes the addition of orchestral instruments which adds a flair of elegance. Sarpedon has been around for 9 years and Anomic Nation is a solid start-up and definitely shows a lot of potential.