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Rating: The Canadians Augury released their first Full-Length in 2004, "Concealed". Their work cannot be easily categorized within a single genre; it is mainly Progressive Death Metal with a variety of elements and influences from every corner. I've never heard anything like it.
The group's sound is very aggressive while continuously seeking melody, and it’s hard to describe. The vocals range from deep growls, at times hardcore, piercing screams, clean singing, female vocals, and occasionally choral singing. The fantastic thing is that each of these seamlessly harmonizes with the others, although they seemingly have nothing in common. The musicians' technique is absolutely top-notch, with Etien Gallo (Ex-Neuraxis, Negativa) on drums launching into relentless double bass gallops, maintaining extremely fast tempos with absolute creativity and effectiveness. The bass is prominently highlighted by the production, and Dominic Lapointe (Ex-Quo Vadis) delivers an outstanding performance; his instrument doesn’t merely accompany but quite often supports entire sections of the tracks, including stunning solos and highly emotional breakdowns. The guitarists weave together a sharp, fast, technical, heavy, and melodic riffing simultaneously, with technical and imaginative solos making an appearance within the tracks, and it’s not uncommon to find acoustic interludes; every song is an emotion, featuring typical Death outbursts, technicalities, melodic, and epic breaks.
It’s pointless to pick out the best songs; I generally try to do so, but with this album, it's absolutely impossible and rather futile. You have to immerse yourself in its entirety to understand it, and I assure you, you will be ecstatic. It truly is a journey within music through a thousand different nuances. Few albums have struck me like this one, and I'm talking about masterpieces like "The Sound Of Perseverance" by Death and "Focus" by Cynic. Many of you might think I'm crazy, but I'm not joking; as far as innovation and experimentation go, in my opinion, the work of this Canadian band matches the previously mentioned works.
This work certainly deserves 5 stars, but if it were possible to go beyond that, I would not hesitate. In the reviews I've written before, I've given 5 to several albums, but none of those come close to this album; to do justice to this record, the highest scores are not enough. Masterpiece.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Beatus (04:03)
[Music: Patrick & Mathieu]
Long lost hours locked in, drenched in fear
Faint steps resound closer, impending pains to withstand
All senses out to the debauchery,
He will come secreting Eucharist again
Black robe, the veiled ogre, prayed his way to the fresh meat
For the shepherd also dines on lamb and he bends for the frail and tender.
Nightly taught in vice, housebroken with virtue, tamed, humiliated,
To God the souls, but the flesh he'll takes care of...
Magister, Magister, dolorae inferis
Magister, Magister, in caudae venenum est
Magister, Magister, caro mea vere est cibus.
Torrente voluptatis, tuae potabis eos
(He stalks the corridors, question which room he'll sneak in
Shivering puppies' cringe, praying their turn has not come)
Et clamor meus ad Te veniat
Pulling sheets overhead in hopes to be spared
Exaudi meam, miserere nobis
Whence the evening came, he brands his cattle for life
After eons it is time to go
All of them empty shells walking, overused toys
To nowhere they march, martyrs of lust
In the making, more martyrs of lust
Until guns blow or creaking ropes swing
Beatified carrions in betrayed faith
[Solo: Mat]
[Solo: Pat]
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