RESUMED is a Technical Death Metal powerhouse from Italy.  The band formed in 2007 as HOLY TERROR, and have released one other full-length, "Alienations".  The band truly began their firm establishment with opening slots for NILE, SUFFOCATION, and others for that album.  Now with "Year Zero," the band stand on the cusp of the next level, shredding, key-changing, and arpeggiating their way to the top.

After listening to the first track, "Waiting for the Fall," I had to make sure my file was correct because of the overtly Death Metal nature of the album cover.  This proves to be so much more as it showcases a top-notch batch of purveyors of Metal that mix elements of Prog with their more traditional, yet extreme approach to Death Metal.  Some mighty tapping coinciding with beefy, fretless bass start the song and after four minutes, one feels as if having just landed after a consuming inner journey as it is so easy to get lost in the melodies within.  This indeed serves as a perfectly epic opening track.

"The World is Mine," the third track, is a further exploration into the band's collective mindset.  One is met with an abundance of massively heavy parts that at time mirror their classic Death Metal heroes.  The pinch harmonics hit at perfectly selected spots for flair while the bass maintains its low-end rumble of melody and intricacy.  The fourth track, "A Human Waste," is an essential track, and the review would be lacking were it not to mention it. The palm-muting in the very beginning powerfully slaughters the senses.

The following track is titled "No Answer," and it has some of the best examples of the band's refined, precise rhythms.  "Catharsis" is the sixth tack and begins with a strange bit that sounds as if it could be taken from the library of PRIMUS riffs.  Soon, though, the band begin to branch out, and it is the bass that resounds most to the ears.  Clearly playing a fretless with tons of tone, the bass impresses with its tasteful parts in supporting both rhythms and melodies.

"Year Zero" is definitely finely crafted material.  Though the band plays extremely heavy and at times ferociously fast music, a level of clarity is maintained throughout.  With this in effect, one can truly appreciate the many runs and arpeggios that color this piece.  The only complaint I have regards the vocals.  While they are clear by Death Metal standards, there seems to be times where the timing is off.  After listening more closely to the vocals, it seems that it is only when the band play an exclusively syncopated part that the vocals seem to stagger.  The band would be fine as an instrumental outfit and for this reason, I can't really criticize them too harshly.

Perhaps I'm a simpleton, but my favorite parts of the album are the slower palm-muted stuff and of course, the many stunning melodies.  This material would please most Metal fans, particularly fans of DEATH, early OPETH, and CYNIC.  DEATH, in particular, resounds throughout, especially "Individual Thought Patterns" and the interplay between two excellent guitarists, Chuck Schuldiner and Andy LaRocque, and one mighty bassist in Steve Digiorgio.  Ultimately, the band is able to include fusion-influenced parts between heavier ones and making everything thus stand out.  "Year Zero" turns out to be an album of compromise with just enough brutality for Death Metal fans and just enough intricacy for Prog and experimental fans.  While that seems like a tall order, the band toe the line effortlessly as demonstrated by the quick and seamless transitions throughout the album.  At a time when Technical Death Metal bands seem to be flaunting their sweep picking skills and other such tricks of the trade, RESUMED have steered the focus back to songs.  Perhaps soon the art of the album will return, and thankfully albums like "Year Zero" will surely facilitate that.