I have been a fan of ALKALOID ever since I heard “The Malkuth Grimoire” eight years ago. I greatly appreciate their forward-thinking approach to progressive extreme metal mixed with their ability to write accessible music. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to review their newest double album, “Numen.” When they released the album’s first single, “Clusterfuck,” I was sure that this release would be a surefire hit.  I listened to “Numen” casually for the first couple of times before really digging in and listening to it critically. The first track, “Qliphosis,” quickly shows that each member is in top form. The riffs and other guitar work are mind-boggling. The drumming is precise and technical. Morean’s vocal range is well displayed and Klausenitzer’s bass licks are tight and spot on. This is how you start an ALKALOID album!

“Clusterfuck” is one of, if not the best tracks on the album. There’s plenty of dynamism and intensity. This track is about man’s drive to accomplish greatness despite knowing that very few reach said greatness. The chorus will get you on board immediately and the entire song has me hooked with every listen.  After that third track, they tend to rely on tropes that were previously established on their two preceding albums. This works well with the Lovecraftian “Shades Of Shub-Niggurath” and “The Fungi From Yuggoth” closing out the first disc. The second disc is where things take a turn. It starts with an impressive clean guitar solo instrumental called “The Black Siren.” Following that track are three “Dyson” tracks, parts VII-IX. These three tracks, “Numen,” “Recursion,” and “The Folding” run into each other without any gaps between them. That would be amazing if the songs were captivating and not directionless and overly self-indulgent.  “Numen” just kind of exists. It has all of the elements of their more impressive work but just falls flat. There isn’t anything to grab the listener. The same goes for the much shorter, “Recursion.” “The Folding” has an interesting gimmick. The first half of the track is standard ALKALOID, yet also uninteresting, then the second half appears to be just the first half played in reverse as if the song is folding in on itself. That sounds neat on paper, but a seven-minute track that leaves you with disjointed backward music for three-and-a-half minutes is hardly an enjoyable experience.

After nearly eighteen minutes of self-indulgence, the final thirteen-minute track plays. “Alpha Aur” has its brilliant moments, but after the exhausting previous three tracks you find yourself kind of sticking around for the good parts. They should have stopped after the first disc instead of trying to fit so much material dedicated to continuing their Dyson storyline onto the album. I tried to get on board with the hour and ten-minute runtime. These tracks are too dense for a double album and the entire second disc just doesn’t measure up to the standard set by the first disc. If you have this album on your radar or in your backlog it would be best if you skipped disc two altogether.