Album Review: Black Crown Initiate-The Wreckage of Stars

Life has to be great for the guys in Black Crown Initiate right now. In only a year, they went from an unsigned band grinding it out in the Pennsylvania metal scene to a signed band that is landing nationwide tours with the likes of Behemoth, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Unearth. If their debut full-length The Wreckage of Stars is any indicator; this is the only beginning of a very bright future for Black Crown Initiate.

What immediately sticks out about The Wreckage of Stars is how polished it is for a debut album. It's incredibly hard to believe after listening to The Wreckage of Stars that Black Crown Initiate has only been together since 2012. There aren't too many bands that sound this tight on their third or fourth album, let alone their first one. These guys are an incredibly well-oiled unit that have developed one of hell a rapport with one another with in practically no time at all, and this level of cohesion is a large part of what makes The Wreckage of Stars such a success. 

Musically, this is a far more death metal-oriented release than their 2013 EP Song for the Crippled Bull. The more straight-up heavy vibe of this record becomes apparent pretty early on with tracks like "The Fractured One", "This Human Lie Manifest" and "To the Eye that Lead You". Every single one of these tracks are efficient, relatively technical affairs that perfectly set the energetic and pummeling tempo that serves as the backbone of this album, The pure death metal sections on this record bring out two of Black Crown Initiate's greatest assets as a band: the vicious screams of James Horton and spastic drumming of Jesse Beahler. Horton's near-perfect guttural lows give each song a delightfully sinister edge while Beahler's wild fills and ridiculously fast double bass is very reminiscent of ex-Black Dahlia Murder skinsman (and one of my personal drummers) Shannon Lucas. There are moments where the guitars become trite, but these songs never lose a ton of momentum thanks to the phenomenal performances from Horton and Beahler. 

The Wreckage of Stars may be heavier than Song for the Crippled Bull, but just like its predecessor, its finest moments come when the progressive metal elements come into the fold. Don't get me wrong, these guys are no slouches when it comes to pure, unadulterated brutality, but they are at their absolute best when they throw some melody and clean vocals into the mix. Lead single "Withering Waves" is the best song these guys have put out in their brief career so far. The clean-sung chorus and melodic guitar-driven bridge are absolutely stirring and make the heavier sections that much more affective. "Purge", "A Great Mistake" and "Shape's Collapse" continue the trend with prominent acoustic guitar and tasteful clean vocal lines that perfectly accentuate the crushing, groove-heavy death metal that takes up the other portions of the album. When Black Crown Initiate is channeling their inner Blackwater Park/Deliverance-era Opeth, they are an absolute force in progressive death metal.

The Wreckage of Stars is a damn fine first full-length effort from Black Crown Initiate. It's not exactly a game changer, but there's more than enough gorgeous melodies and crushing riffs here to get any progressive death metal fan salivating. The fact that these guys were able to secure a deal with an emerging powerhouse label in E1 with only a single EP to their name tells you a lot about how talented they are, and how much potential there is for them in the years to come. With a lineup that's already this fluid in its infancy, the possibilities for the future of Black Crown Initiate are incredibly exciting to say the least.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Withering Waves
2.Purge
3.The Fractured One    

Movie Review: The Equalizer

Denzel Washington is currently undergoing the same late-career transformation that Liam Nesson did five years ago with the release of Taken. For the first two decades of his career, Washington split his time between dramatic roles and story-oriented crime dramas. Ever since The Book of Eli was released in 2010, Washington has turned into a certified badass killing machine. His latest film, The Equalizer, is the most unapologetically violent film Washington has ever starred in, and will undoubtedly complete his transition from serious dramatic actor to the next AARP action star.  

Washington plays Robert McCall, a former Special Forces agent who now works at a Boston hardware store. McAll is forced back into action once the teenage prostitute he's befriended (Chloe Grace Moretz) at a local diner is badly beaten by her pimp. McCall proceeds to kill her pimp- who happens to be a member of the Russian mafia. Soon after, a crazed mob enforcer (Marton Csokas) is hot on his trail and, all hell breaks loose as McCall is forced back into a world he thought he had permanently abandoned. 

For whatever reason, The Equalizer makes the awkward choice to focus less on Washington crushing skulls and more time on a storyline that just isn't all that interesting. The early scenes between Washington and Moretz work, but once the story switches to focus on the Russian mob, the film falls flat on its face. Every single scene with the Russian mobsters and the corrupt Boston police officers that work for him are an absolute snooze to sit through. Csonaks takes his role as Russian mob nutjob Teddy far too seriously and, comes off far more corny than menacing while the corrupt cops are ripped straight from the stock character 101 handbook. The scenes with McCall aren't much better. The non-fight scenes with McCall are split between him mentoring a colleague at the hardware store who wants to a security guard (Johnny Skourtis), silent, introspective shots of him pondering what his dead wife would think about his return to the killing business, and the occasional information shakedown of a corrupt cop. Washington gives a spirited performance as always, but even a masterful actor like him can't elevate just how empty these sequences are.

Worst of all, all this time spent to trying to (unsuccessfully) develop these characters keeps the amount of bloody action sequences this genre of movie is built around to a minimum. B-grade vigilante movies like The Equalizer are not the type of action films where you try to tell a meaningful, detailed story. The sole reason for films like The Equalizer to exist is to have a brainless, blood-soaked good time at the movies. The attempt to flesh-out these characters out and overly-serious approach to the story takes away from the fun this genre typically offers up. Brutal revenge films simply should not the stone-serious tone and painfully slow pace that The Equalizer has.

The handful of action scenes that are present here give The Equalizer just enough adrenaline to get by. These scenes are mostly all too brief, but god damn do they work. It's almost pathetic at the amount of depraved joy I got watching Washington tear through hordes of bad guys in the most gruesome ways possible in such a short amount of time. The only action sequence that lasts more than a couple of minutes is the hardware store-set finale, which is worth the price of admission alone. Director Antoinie Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen, Training Day) ramps up the tension and body count in the nearly 20-minute scene that caps off the film on the highest note possible. Its a shame that The Equalizer waited so long to hit its stride because if there was more sequences like this, it would been an elite action flick. There's a great revenge film buried somewhere in The Equalizer, but with its choice to focus more on a lifeless storyline than the gripping action scenes, it's nothing more than a decent early-fall throwaway action/thriller.

3/5 Stars   

2014 Week 4 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Eli Manning (Giants)
Eli Manning channeled his brother Peyton this week as he dismantled the Redskins defense with a preposterous 300-yard, five TD performance (four passing, one rushing). Manning is finally starting to get a hold of offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's system and its paying dividends on the field. Manning hasn't looked this comfortable or been this productive under center since his nearly 5,000-yard season in 2011. Manning is still too inconsistent to trust as a weekly starter, but he's well worth a pickup as a QB2 right now.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Luck (Colts), Eli Manning (Giants), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

LVP: Nick Foles (Eagles)
For the first time in a long time, Nick Foles had a terrible game. Foles couldn't get a damn thing going on Sunday against the 49ers as he was under duress for most of the game and had practically no help from his receivers getting open downfield. Because of this, Foles ended Sunday with less than 200 yards passing and zero touchdowns. In Chip Kelly's offense, Foles is still as strong of a QB start as there is out there, so don't bench him due to this performance.
Dishonorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Redskins), Cam Newton (Panthers), Tom Brady (Patriots)

Running Back
MVP: Jammal Charles (Chiefs)
Jammal Charles owners can officially rejoice now because he has officially woken up from his offseason hibernation. After missing the last two weeks with injuries, Charles returned to the field for his first dominant performance of the season against the Patriots in primetime on Monday night. Charles was all over the field getting a combined total of 21 touches, 108 yards and three TD's (two receiving, one rushing). After the early season injury, Charles looks to be back to his dominant RB1 form.
Honorable Mentions: DeMarco Murray (Cowboys), Matt Forte (Bears), Matt Asiata (Vikings)

LVP: LeSean McCoy (Eagles)
Who would've thought LeSean McCoy would be the worst fantasy running back play two weeks in a row? McCoy once again stuffed as he managed just 17 yards on 10 carries against the 49ers stiff run D on Sunday afternoon. While McCoy hasn't looked as fluid in space or with his cuts than usual over the past couple of weeks, he can't absorb all of the blame for these poor performances. The Eagles line is currently riddled with injuries, so the rushing lanes just haven't been there in the last two games. McCoy has a strong chance to return to from against the weak Rams run D in Week 5.
Dishonorable Mentions: Donald Brown (Chargers), Rashad Jennings (Giants), Arian Foster (Texans)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Steve Smith (Ravens)
As most people-myself included-expected, Steve Smith had a huge game in his first meeting against his former team-the Carolina Panthers. Smith just could not be stopped as he reeled in seven receptions for 139 yards and two TD's in the Ravens blowout victory on Sunday. Smith, 35, has once again proven to be an ageless wonder this season and if he keeps up at this rate, he'll a guaranteed top 10 fantasy WR at year's end.
Honorable Mentions: Antonio Brown (Steelers), Randall Cobb (Packers), Jordy Nelson (Packers)

LVP: Calvin Johnson (Lions)
Even robot overlords like Megatron can play poorly sometimes. Calvin Johnson was visibly hobbled by an ankle injury- which limited his snaps and production substantially-throughout the Lions Week 4 matchup with the Jets. Johnson should return to his typical superhuman form in a couple of weeks, but he's not worth starting as long as his ankle continues to bother him.
Dishonorable Mentions: Pierre Garcon (Redskins), DeSean Jackson (Redskins), Michael Crabtree (49ers)

Tight End
MVP: Larry Donnell (Giants)
If you've watched the Giants play at any point this year, you may have asked yourself "Who the hell is Larry Donnell? The third-year undrafted tight end has become a fixture in the Giants offense overnight thanks to his steady hands and monstrous red zone presence. Donnell easily made his greatest impact of 2014 thus far in Week 4 as he found the endzone three times against the Redskins. Donnell has emerged as the breakout TE of this season and if he's somehow still available in your league, you need to pick him up immediately.
Honorable Mentions: Heath Miller (Steelers), Delanie Walker (Titans), Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

LVP: Greg Olsen (Panthers)
It was a long day for pretty much the entire Panthers offense in their matchup with the Ravens this past Sunday, but no one suffered more in their lopsided loss than Greg Olsen. The typically productive Olsen was basically shut out as he picked up a mere two catches for 30 yards on the afternoon. Even with this setback, Olsen is on pace for a career year and he remains the number two option in this offense behind Kelvin Benjamin, so keeping starting him.
Dishonorable Mentions: Antonio Gates (Chargers), Zach Ertz (Eagles), Jason Witten (Cowboys)

Defense
MVP: Miami Dolphins
After two straight disappointing performances, the Dolphins came back with a vengeance against the Raiders. The Dolphins forced four takeaways (three INT's and a fumble), picked up two sacks and got a defensive touchdown in Sunday's international showcase in London. The Dolphins are still a little sketchy to trust due to their tendency to allow a lot of points, but they have the capability to go off at any time thanks to their strong pass rush and takeaway ability.
Honorable Mentions: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers

LVP: Carolina Panthers
Now is the time to hit the panic button for the Panthers defense. A week after getting crushed by the Steelers, the Panthers farted once again against allowing 38 points and not registered a single sack or takeaway in Sunday's contest against the Ravens. The pass-rush just isn't the same without Greg Hardy in the lineup and their second-ranked run defense from a year ago is suddenly near the bottom of the league. Things aren't going to get any easier for this struggling unit either as they face the Bears powerhouse offense in Week 5.
Dishonorable Mentions: Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons

Concert Review: Coheed and Cambria-- Boston, MA-- September 28th, 2014

If you're an active concertgoer, you know that there are certain shows that stand out from the pack. Every once and a while you'll attend a show that feels less like a concert and more like a monumental, can't-miss event. Last night at the House of Blues in Boston was one of those special shows as progressive rock virtuosos Coheed and Cambria played their iconic 2003 album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 in its entirety.

Opening the show was up-and-coming prog-rockers Thank You Scientist. All I knew about Thank You Scientist prior to the show was that they are signed to Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez's record label and that their 2012 debut album, Maps of Non-Existent Places, was universally acclaimed by critics and fans alike. After seeing them live, I'm downright ashamed of myself for not checking them out sooner. Thank You Scientist is the most experimental and unconventional act to come along in the progressive rock scene since The Mars Volta. The center of their originality comes from their inclusion of a brass section (saxophone and trumpet) and violinist in their full-time lineup. The prominent brass instrument and violin sections gives them a jazz-fueled sound that other bands in the genre simply can't play. It's really awesome to see a band work unconventional instrumentation into their music without it coming off as a cheap gimmick. While the jazzy instruments are a huge part of what makes Thank You Scientist so great, the other members of the band are just as vital to the success of their oddball sound. The soaring falsetto vocals of Salvatore Marrano add a gigantic burst of energy to the already chaotic music and guitarist Tom Monda possesses the versatility to tackle everything from soothing Latin-inspired melodies to metal-esque technicality with ease. Thank You Scientist was the perfect opener for this show and I'll be closely monitoring their career in the future.

After a half-hour wait, Coheed and Cambria hit the stage. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 has been amongst my favorite albums of all-time since I first discovered it in 2005, so the fact I was going to see it played live from start to finish was incredibly exciting. As I'd anticipated, it was an absolutely surreal and euphoric experience to hear these songs in a live setting. While hearing longtime live set staples like the title track and "A Favor House Atlantic" was awesome, it was the deeper cuts that truly shined. Songs like "Cuts Marked in the March of Men", "The Crowing" and the epic three-part track the "Camper Velourium" were absolutely colossal live. A large part of the appeal of Coheed and Cambria's music to me is how massive every song sounds and the live version of these tracks are prime examples of that. I was actually surprised to see how well-received the non-album singles were. Basically everyone in my vicinity was singing along and generally losing their minds for every single song on the album. It's always awesome to see a group of fans that have the same amount of enthusiasm and passion for the rarities as they do for the singles. After they played through In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, they returned for two encores that were just as fantastic and powerful as the material from In Keeping Secrets. Newer song "Number City" was the most pure fun song of the night thanks to its infectious hook and rousing horn section courtesy of the guys from Thank You Scientist while fan-favorite "Welcome Home" punctuated the set with the loudest sing-a-longs of the evening and a wild, spontaneous 12-string guitar solo from Sanchez. The only disappointment of the night for me was the fact they dropped "The Lying Lies and Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court" from the setlist. "Lying Lies" is one of my favorite tracks in Coheed's discography and I'd never seen them play it live before, so I was pretty bummed when they decided to drop from the setlist in Boston after playing it at all of the previous shows on the tour. Thanks to a spectacular setlist and crowd, this was the most fun I've ever had seeing Coheed and Cambria live.

Side Notes:
-The rush to the stage once the intro riff to "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3" kicked in was the craziest I've seen since The Wonder Years headlining set at the Glamour Kills Tour in March 2012.  
-My friend D.J. describe Thank You Scientist as "...an orgy of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Coheed, Apocalyptica and The Mars Volta"
-Singing along to "Al the Killer" is the only time it's acceptable to yell "Die white girls" in public.
-The crowd was great on the whole, but there were a handful of morons who were trying to push their way up to the front when there was clearly nowhere to go. Seriously, if it's a packed floor at a sold out show, don't be that asshole causing unnecessary disruptions to move a couple of inches closer to the stage.
-Before the show, A cop threatened to put a drunk kid outside of the House of Blues in a "handcuff timeout" if his friends didn't get him away from the venue immediately.  
   
Scores:
Thank You Scientist 8/10
Coheed and Cambria 9/10

Setlists:
Thank You Scientist:
Feed the Horses
Carnival
Little Automatic
In the Company of Worms
My Famed Disappearing Act

Coheed and Cambria:
The Ring in Return
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Cuts Marked in the March of Men
Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)
The Crowing
Blood Red Summer
The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts
The Camper Velourium II: Backend of Forever
The Camper Velourium III: Al the Killer
A Favor House Atlantic
The Light & the Glass
 Encore:
21: 13
Encore 2:
Neverender
Goodnight, Fair Lady
Number City
Encore 3:
Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)
Welcome Home

2014 Rookie QB Watch: Week 4

By Liam Madigan-Fried

So I feel like I had to eat my words a little bit this week. Two weeks ago, I said that Matt Cassel looked like a solid franchise starter which would lead to Teddy Bridgewater seeing maybe two starts this season, and then last week I said that Blake Bortles wouldn’t see his first start until week six. Still, I can’t even say I care, because in my opinion, this season just got really interesting. We went from one rookie quarterback starting in week one to three lacing up for the first quarter in week four. So without further ado, let's get a closer look at how these guys are shaking things up in the league thus far.

Teddy Bridgewater: Well, the Matt Cassel story that might have been is over, and he’s likely seen his last stint as a starter in the NFL. The tenth-year veteran suffered a foot injury last Sunday versus the New Orleans Saints,  which forced Teddy Bridgewater into making his first NFL game appearance. After the game, MRI’s revealed that Cassel had fractured a number of bones in his foot, and would not be returning for the remainder of the season. So however the timeline for coach Mike Zimmer regarding his new quarterback may have laid out, they’re going to have to speed things up a bit, because ready or not, Bridgewater’s his man for the remainder of the season. Despite not throwing for a single touchdown, Bridgewater gave the Vikings a little glimmer of hope showing some poise in the pocket and going 12 for 20 through the air for 150 yards. If Bridgewater can click in Norv Turner’s offense like he did in the preseason and he can some help in the running game from Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon, there’s no reason why Bridgewater shouldn’t be on his way to a good (or at least decent) rookie season.

Derek Carr: Derek Carr made a big statement on Sunday versus the Patriots  when he targeted star cornerback Darrelle Revis’s side of the field a total of six times, completing five of those passes for 63 yards. Carr was obviously not intimidated about testing Revis on Sunday, but unfortunately that could not stop the massive pass rush created by Vince Wilfork and Chandler Jones from affecting him. That relentless pass rush ultimately led to Carr’s first game without a touchdown pass, as well as one interception coming from Wilfork himself. Carr would end the game throwing 21/34 for 174 yards, but it can definitely be argued that Carr got robbed for a score due to a pass interference call on the Patriots on a deep touchdown pass to Andre Holmes. Had Holmes been able to run unobstructed, the tide of the game may have turned in a very different direction for Tom Brady and co. Despite starting their season at 0-3, Carr still continues to improve in some areas-such as his poise in the pocket and defensive reads- yet remains weak in others, particularly when it comes to shoving passes into really, really tight windows, sometimes (and sometimes not) narrowly escaping an interception. Luckily for Carr, other than the whole two-fumbles-in-the-same-play fiasco, James Jones seems to be at least doing his part in contributing to this Oakland offense, leading the team in receptions with 189 yards and two touchdowns. Jones might not be putting up elite receiver numbers, but he has so far proven to be Carr’s best deep threat and red zone option. I still don’t see bright things on the horizon for the Raiders this season, but one thing they’ve got going for them so far is Carr.

Johnny Manziel: Despite their second loss of the season on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens, the metaphorical scales representing the Browns quarterback debacle seem to be tipping in favor of veteran Brian Hoyer. The Money Manziel package that Browns head coach Mike Pettine has alluded to in numerous press conferences has yet to manifest itself on the field other than a quick three plays two weeks ago versus the Steelers. The Browns last two losses (as well as their one win) have been decided by three points or less, meaning their battling bald man under center has consistently kept them in the game until the very end. Hoyer has looked pretty good so far with a 97.5 passer rating, three touchdowns and no interceptions through the first three games. Like I say week after week, Manziel has talent and he might even belong in the NFL, but Cleveland isn’t looking like the place for him. The reason being, it just wouldn’t make sense to get rid of Hoyer as long as he continues to put up good numbers. If Hoyer can manage to lead the Browns to a winning season this year (unlikely), it’s very possible we could see Manziel offered up to the trading block for a top draft pick in 2015.

Blake Bortles: The Bortles era in Jacksonville is finally here! One of the few things I’m glad to have been proven wrong on is the subject of Blake Bortles redshirt status. Despite what teammates and coaches may have said prior to Sunday, Chad Henne got the boot in the second half on Sunday to make way for the first round pick out of Central Florida. Bortles ended the night going 14/24 for 223 total yards and two touchdown passes in his debut- an impressive showing in what many would call the "garbage pickup" portion of the game. Despite throwing for two interceptions, if you actually watch the game footage you’ll see many of those completions came under pressure and in some pretty tight windows as well (hence the two interceptions). The arm strength of Bortles was also let out of its cage on Sunday, with one particular rocket of a pass hitting Allen Robinson for a first down late in the fourth quarter. Now that Bortles is taking over the starting quarterback job, Henne may have seen his last start in a Jaguars uniform (or any uniform). He may have known it was coming, he probably was just hoping it would be later, rather than sooner. I’m going to make a very bold prediction right now: In two weeks win or lose, Bortles will be in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Arthur Avanesov Northlane Audition

Hello all,
My good friend Arthur Avanesov is amongst the thousands of people that are trying out to be the new vocalist for Australian djent/metalcore band Northlane. Check out his audition video below and be sure to spread the word if you like what you hear. He's a killer vocalist and would be a great fit for an up-and-coming band like Northlane.

Album Review: The Contortionist-Language

If you're a fan of modern progressive metal in any form, you're probably well aware of The Contortionist. Since the release of their widely-praised debut album Exoplanet in 2010, The Contortionist has become one of the fastest rising bands in the genre thanks to their knack for combining intricate melodies with death metal intensity. Armed with a new vocalist and more subdued sound, The Contortionist's third LP Language marks the start of a new chapter for the Indiana sextet.  

Language sees The Contortionist further expanding on the more progressive sound they established on their 2012 LP Intrinsic. The deathcore elements that ruled Exoplanet are now all but gone from the equation. The Contortionist's transition from a progressive deathcore band to a straight-up progressive band is relatively seamless in large part due to the presence of new vocalist Mike Lessard. Lessard-who is also the frontman for criminally underrated prog metal act Last Chance to Reason- is a pitch-perfect fit for this band. Lessard is a phenomenal vocalist with a range that allows the band to cover more ground musically than ever before. While previous vocalist Jonathan Carpenter was an excellent harsh vocalist, his middling clean vocals prevented the band from thriving when they entered melodic territory. Lessard's ability to sing as well he screams erases any previous vocal limitations this band had and is one of the driving forces behind the success of Language.  

The first half of Language is pretty much prog-metal bliss. The Contortionist is firing on all cylinders out the gate with plenty of energy, emotion and exquisite melodies galore. Droning intro "The Source" is the perfect precursor to the two-part track "Language"-which perfectly embodies everything The Contortionist is about. "Language I" establishes the new, atmosphere-heavy sound with nothing but clean vocals, muted guitar lines and low-key synths throughout while "Language II" reminds the listener that even though this incarnation of The Contortionist is primarily focused on being a progressive band, they can still play heavy material with the best of them. However, "Language I and II" are just a warmup for the brilliance of the two proceeding tracks "Integration" and "Thrive". "Integration" and "Thrive" are two of the absolute best progressive metal tracks to be released in recent memory. The grand scope and complexity of the song structures, beautiful riffing from guitarists Robby Baca and Cameron Maynad, and brief bursts of Exoplanet-esque heaviness make these tracks completely invigorating listens that only grow more striking on repeat plays. 

Ironically, just about everything after "Integration" and "Thrive" backfires. The sixth track, "Primordial Sound", comes through and kills all the momentum Language built up in the first half. With a plodding, robotic vibe running through the duration of the song, The six-and-a-half minute runtime of "Primordial Sound" feels like at least twice that. The next track "Arise" briefly gets things back on track, before the lengthy "Ebb and Flow" and "The Parable" end the album with a whimper. The haunting musical landscapes and guitar harmonies that dominate the first half of the record are replaced by repetitive, lifeless riffing that gets really old really fast. Even the vocals of Lessard suffer a dip in quality from the first half.  While Lessard's technical chops remain impressive, his reliance on repeated lyrics and delivering the vocal lines with zero emotion severely take away from the strength of his vocals. It's extremely perplexing to see an album that starts off as such a triumph descend into a stilted snoozefest when it approaches the finish line.   

Ultimately, Language is one of the most divisive and flat-out strange listens of 2014 so far. It's too great to completely ignore yet far too meandering on the whole to get overly excited about. It's almost like two different bands recorded the two halves of the album. The first five tracks are about as strong as progressive metal can get while the last four sound like low-rent versions of Traced in Air-era Cynic. I'm completely content with the fact that The Contortionist will never put out another record like Exoplanet again, but the fact that they haven't been able to match the quality of that record with their subsequent efforts is agitating. Both this album and Intrinsic have plenty of moments of brilliance that are ultimately squandered by numerous sleep-inducing songs appearing throughout the duration of the album. If they could make a record that's as consistently inspired and efficient as Exoplanet with their new sound/lineup, they would be one of the undisputed torchbearers in progressive metal. Simply put, the first half of Language would've have a brilliant EP, but thanks to a lackluster second half, it's an enjoyable but heavily flawed LP.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Thrive
2.Integration
3.Language I-II