Unexpect
In A Flesh Aquarium

THE REVIEW

It was 2006 when Unexpect gave birth to what I personally consider a small gem. Compared to their previous work, this album is truly much more experimental. The lineup includes a nine-string bassist, a drummer, a violinist, a keyboardist, a singer, and two guitarist-singers as well.

The first song starts with piano accompanied by an electronic motif, ending with the voices of the three singers together. The violin is a constant presence throughout the album, and the voice of the lovely Leilindel isn't really bad, though slightly nasal at times. The only flaw of this album is probably the recording, which at certain points can obscure and muddle some transitions. The second song, "Feasting Fools", is more influenced by Death metal and somewhat less experimental, though it still contains really interesting passages that completely diverge from what Death is in itself. The following "Desert Urbania", which starts with piano like the title track, then blends with the violin and singing. It's worth noting that the singer uses not only Clean vocals, but also Scream, and the two guitarists sing in both clean and Growl (or Grunt), giving us essentially 6 voices to enjoy. The track lasts 7:29 minutes, but it's not boring at all, at least not for me.

Almost all the tracks on the album have a medium to long duration, but the album doesn't seem affected by this at all. After the excellent "Summoning Scenes" comes the turn of the most experimental track on the album, "Silence_011010701", almost completely computerized, with the aid of the violin. I won't say more, listen to it and judge for yourselves, it may not be to everyone's taste.
"Megalomaniac Trees" starts off quicker, considering the previous one doesn't have very aggressive tones, and stands out for the extensive use of the violin and for a passage that recurs quite frequently throughout the song, but which I find beautiful, culminating with the clean voices of the singers. Towards the end of the CD, it transitions through three tracks that share the same name, extended in different ways.
"The Shiver Another dissonant chord" is also very experimental, with the singer's voices overlapping, building up to the extremely frantic and chaotic "The Shiver Meet me at the carousel". In the subsequent "The Shiver A clown's mindtrap", the violin is once again very present, with a choir performed again in unison.

The last song starts with it as well, but the backbone consists of the sharp riffs and the keyboards, lasting 11 minutes. Keyboards that accompany us throughout the album, sometimes as a background, sometimes emerging with their own melodies.

In my opinion, the entire album is very deserving; I didn't find a single bad track, although some stand out more than others. Some find this album dull and banal, others a little treasure. I am among the latter, and you?