Transcendence
Misshapen
•
March 20, 2019
Do you ever listen to a band and think "wow, these guys are definitely going to be signed to ____ label"? MISSHAPEN is a band that I predict will be signed onto The Artisan Era when the time comes for them to release a full-length. That being said, their debut EP titled "Transcendence" is pretty much melodic and technical bliss along the lines of VALE OF PNATH, INFERI and AETHEREUS.
This five-track EP starts with parts one and two of "Pressure of Time," a melodic masterpiece that covers grounds of technicality very efficiently. The track is good for introducing the listener to the band as it encompasses everything the band uses in their vast sound. I've never been a huge fan of heavy usage of synthesizers in Metal. There are a few bands that pull it off (check out INFESTUM), but I never got into bands like SYNTHGOD APOCALYPSE. Misshapen is a band that pulls off the whole synthesizer thing effectively. Each song has light synthesizer usage, and it's always used for accentuation instead of actual riffage. The best usage of it is in "The Swarm" where it provides a nice foundation for the melodic guitars.
Something that surprised me about this EP was that each song is written extremely well. "Transcendence" has a clean intro that reappears about two minutes into the song. A lot of bands that have intros like this don't really make them a complete part of the song, and that can be done through repetition. The riffs on this album also flow into one another effortlessly. There is also a reoccurring theme of clean vocal sections in each track. It's reminiscent of CATTLE DECAPITATION in the sense that it never really gets old. It's always a good addition to each track, and they sound epic. MISSHAPEN have created a powerful set of five tracks. They're fast, melodic, technical, layered and heavy. It's like if you took the melody and atmosphere from AETHEREUS's "Absentia" and mixed it with the riffage of VALE OF PNATH's "The Prodigal Empire". That's MISSHAPEN's "Transcendence". I look forward to a full-length.
Also, if it makes any difference to the reader, the vocalist is female, and she kicks ass.
10 / 10
Masterpiece
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Transcendence" Track-listing:
1. Pressure of Time Pt. 1
2. Pressure of time Pt. 2
3. The Swarm
4. Strong Man's Will
5. Transcendence
Misshapen Lineup:
Lana Andrews - Vocals
Adam Semler - Guitars
Mitch Dimitriadis - Guitars
Chris Pickard - Bass
Nick Rodgers - Drums
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