Augury is a death metal band from Montreal, Quebec that blends elements from both technical and progressive aspects of extfreme metal into one entity. Since the early 2000s, the Canadian act has released three full length albums under a few different record labels and also went through some line-up changes in its history, now ultimately being a four piece. The band's namesake "augury" is a term defined as an omen or sign of the future, so the surreal themes found within may be mystifying to some. And now, without further ado, let's get down to the topic at hand...their latest release.
The new effort by Augury is named Illusive Golden Age and serves as the band's third full length album. Consisting of nearly 45 minutes of extreme, brutal and technically sound death metal content divided into eight tracks, this The Artisan Era release sure packs a few punches throughout. Illusive Golden Age additionally features cover artwork courtesy of Filip Ivanovic, who has previously worked with other death metal acts such as Origin and Beyond Creation as well as mastering done by none other than Christian Donaldson, guitarist of Crypstopsy.
The album begins with some solid display of technical and instrumentally mastery, with a minute long introduction consisting of guitar solo action, Beyond Creation-esque bass lines, in addition to some fast paced percussional madness in the mix. All of a sudden, the vocals come into action and by then we all already know what we're in for. The strong lows prove to be a great match for the rest of the riffing and lightning chaos on display. Production quality of Illusive Golden Age is top tier, as listeners can make out every single note being played...and every instrument provides a backbone sound to the others. For instance, at one point you'll be faced with a guitar solo that is accompanied by some bass shredding following closely behind. The progressive elements are best heard in songs like "The Living Vault" and "Mater Dolorosa", which served as one of the album's showrunners and singles. The instrumental track that comes in later on titled "Message Sonore" is one that many musicians will appreciate, as well.
There could've been slightly more in the way of vocal variety in some sections, but overall the vocals are very engaging when they're on display, so to speak. Also, the melodic parts in this album could be more sporadic or frequent.
In all, Illusive Golden Age by Augury is a powerful third release for the band with very few flaws and a lot of charisma, heart, technical prowess, progressive elements, and more. The album stacks up to other greats in its genre and has a ton of dynamicism and energy, putting it pretty high up the rankings. Check it out!
Fave Tracks: "The Living Vault", "Mater Dolorosa"
For Fans Of: Beyond Creation, Decrepit Birth, Obscura
**This release is available now on Bandcamp and at The Artisan Era!**
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-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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