Augury Concealed
Adipocere Records 2003
By Alex York
With an incredibly strong technical performance and a razor sharp production, Augury's début, Concealed, is a stunning display of technical, melodic death metal at its very finest. This Canadian band's influences are not so obvious, which is refreshing in itself. With links to Cynic in the technical realm, you will know to expect some high-class, jazzy, progressive metal with complicated (but effective) compositions and superb instrumentation.
Strong, bright female vocals reminiscent of The Provenance add something unusual to the mix, but are as far from a cheesy gimmick as possible rather they add another dimension to the record that is already multifaceted. The biggest, and most pleasant surprise is the tie back to symphonic black metal. This has been done by others but usually results in a confused, muddy and weak sound; Augury do it with gusto and show a true appreciation for the skill involved in mixing genres. Key changes mid-passage and superbly linked arrangements keep things both fresh and interesting. Acoustic, instrumental breaks are a real surprise and reinforce the underlying feeling that this is something really very classy indeed. So you probably gathered by now that I can heartily recommend this unique and highly impressive release.
Official Augury Website
Official Adipocere Records Website
Adipocere Records 2003
By Alex York
With an incredibly strong technical performance and a razor sharp production, Augury's début, Concealed, is a stunning display of technical, melodic death metal at its very finest. This Canadian band's influences are not so obvious, which is refreshing in itself. With links to Cynic in the technical realm, you will know to expect some high-class, jazzy, progressive metal with complicated (but effective) compositions and superb instrumentation.
Strong, bright female vocals reminiscent of The Provenance add something unusual to the mix, but are as far from a cheesy gimmick as possible rather they add another dimension to the record that is already multifaceted. The biggest, and most pleasant surprise is the tie back to symphonic black metal. This has been done by others but usually results in a confused, muddy and weak sound; Augury do it with gusto and show a true appreciation for the skill involved in mixing genres. Key changes mid-passage and superbly linked arrangements keep things both fresh and interesting. Acoustic, instrumental breaks are a real surprise and reinforce the underlying feeling that this is something really very classy indeed. So you probably gathered by now that I can heartily recommend this unique and highly impressive release.
Official Augury Website
Official Adipocere Records Website
