The Pitch: German djenty progressive metal band Unprocessed deliver a new concept album via Long Branch Records. FFO: Textures, Animals As Leaders, Periphery
What I Like: Covenant is an album I would have liked to review sooner, but due to my standing queue at the time, a slight delay was unavoidable. In any case, listening to Unprocessed for the first time was an exciting experience. I'm a big fan of bands that finely tread the line between metalcore and traditional progressive metal, and this release certainly hits a high point in that category. The headbanging crowd will appreciate the chunky riffs and Periphery-esque screams of the heavy parts, while fans of everything from Tesseract to Animals As Leaders are sure to fall in love with the jazz-ridden, technical musicianship and enchanting clean singing.
The balance often reminds me of Texture's last album, but Unprocessed still manage to shift the prog to core ratio a bit more towards the former. It's about 70/30. Also props for the additional synth atmosphere and pristine production that really captures each performance and the overall mood. Listening to those amazing solos on "Haven" feels like I'm standing right by the stage.
Critiques: I don't have any major complaints with this one. It still feels like there is something being held back, but I can't put my finger on what it is.
The Verdict: Try as you might, you can't escape the head-bobbing groove of this album. Covenant is insanely well played and constucted, with plenty to love from all corners of the metal community. My only issue, as is often the case with the bands we try to cover, is why the hell I am only hearing about them now?
Flight's Fav's: Haven, Ghilan, Meridian, Exhale
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.