You may not believe it but there are tons of great bands down there in Australia. It's not just AC/DC. From Midnight Oil to Mortal Sin, from Rose Tattoo to Pegasus, loads of good shit comes from Down Under; it's a pity they rarely turn out to achieve international notice. During a brief interview with - lately - impressive Voyager (check 'em out), one of the conclusions was that you can't expect much in terms of promotion since you can barely even tour across e.g. Europe. And that's a fact...
Alarum have been in business for more than ten years (somewhere in the early 90's), at first exposing a rather strict Death Metal character. Altering their musical ID to a more jazz/fusion/extreme Metal path, the Another World demo came out in 1994. Lineup changes resulted in today's crew, with a first release being that of 1997's Blue Print demo. Recorded at Back Beach Studio, Rye, the  Fluid Motion (1999) debut release drew the attention of Aussie Media and fans, since the band had already established a strong reputation around. From the same studios came Eventuality in 2004, originally released via the independent label MGM in Australia and Willowtip Records in the US. Still, it's Earache that brought this release to European hands one year later.
Hooray! for technique-to-the-bone extreme Metal fans worldwide. Sixteen tracks where you shouldn't bet on a single guitar chord lasting for more than 6.66 seconds. Cynic, Atheist or late-era Death are - of course - the first bands brought in mind, while I can notice some elements from the Swedish neo-Thrash scene (At The Gates, The Haunted etc). Is it an extra feature of the band's complexity or a smart move to catch the younger ages? We'll never know (and probably do not care that much). Anyway, a rather stylish move is these short-length instrumental (mainly) intermezzos between Alarum's normal crazy stuff. I had some time to clear out my headache...
Operational: the only thing that somehow made my grim was the vocals. Not bad, but rather colorless. In a brutal way, with proper pronunciation and brainy changes. It was just the ups and downs... Otherwise, brilliant guitar work (otherwise, I'd sue them) and two luna rhythm cabaleros that must worship Steve Di Giorgio and what-the-hell-is-this-drummer's-name on a daily basis. Achtung: Eventuality is not strictly for extreme Metal users. Various jazz influences/parts and a mad songwriting mode. Production clear, could be better though...
Simplicity in music's service: You're into Cannibal Corpse or In Flames? Keep away. You like Nocturnus or Pestilence? Try it. As for Dream Theater or Sieges Even? Check your wallet first, then choose your path. Still, truth is that Alarum created a good record and we must mention it.