MACHINATIONS OF FATE is an extreme Metal band formed in 2012.  They are based out of Newport, Kentucky and released a demo the year they formed.  This self-titled album is their debut full length.  Research about the band reveals they have been labeled everything from Melodic Death to Thrash Metal.  I would say they is accurate as they do play a myriad of sounds, including straight up good ol' Death Metal.

The opening track, "To Thus Defy," starts the album off with a decent melodic intro.  I actually think this one could had been expanded into a full track, as it gets going really well before it naturally ends.  At any rate, this is a nice primer for the rest of the album.

Despite the melodic intro, "Tyrannous Skies," is a more standard Death Metal track.  That isn't to say it doesn't have its own melodic moments, but it is without a doubt a more raw, brutal track.  Ash's death growls/screams are pretty damn solid-heavy but intelligible with plenty of power behind them.  He is apparently the drummer as well, which is impressive because his skills on the kit are rather intense themselves.  The song is almost six and a half minutes long-there isn't any bad moments but, and this is a problem that plagues the album, it does seem to go on a couple minutes longer than needed.

The third track, "Planetary Chaos," is an interlude that doesn't really go anywhere.  It also presents another problem the album has in the form of flow.  With just one full length song among the first three tracks, the album's flow is killed very early on.  It picks back up with "Bedlam In The Far Reaches," but, again, the flow is killed when yet another interlude pops up as "To Fathom Forbidden Truths.

Still, there aren't any bad songs on the album.  Going back to "Bedlam in the Far Reaches," the band showcases well placed rage, fury, and a delicate balance of melodic leads in the song's first half.  The melodic mid portion of the song acts a bridge to the latter half, which is continues the frenzy attack of riffs and drums in an explosive matter.

The title track, "Machinations of Fate," is possibly the best on the album and it isn't a coincidence it is just a little over four minutes.  It is short, concise, picks its path and stays there-in essence, it contains the focus and the willingness to not the cross the line every time it is pushed back.

The last full-length track is "The Malformed Archetype," is the way the album should had ended.  The beginning, with its melodic guitar, is huge in scope and set the stage for a grand finally.  The way the song keeps building in intensity also makes a workable crescendo that reaches for the highest of highs before coming down at the end with a strong Melodic Death finish.  The last two tracks are yet another interlude ("Thus A New Creation Begins) and a demo, "Celestial Prophecies."  As far as demos goes, it isn't bad but, if course I don't consider it part of the main album, so it doesn't factor into my score.

All in all MACHINATIONS OF FATE's self-titled debut isn't a bad record by any means even if I had a couple of complaints about it.  For a band this young, I am willing to bet their next records do improve their sound and song writing skills drastically and I eagerly look forward to what they do next.  In essence, they haven't blown me away but I'm willing to bet that at some point, they will.