Allegaeon - Elements Of The Infinite

Them Colorado boys not only know how to make some killer tech melodeath, but they make some of the most impressive album covers in the biz.As one of the better technical melodic death metal bands out there, Allegaeon is all about intensity - though not at the expense of melody. And thanks to recent changes in the band, Brandon Park (drums) and Michael Stancel (guitars) have helped breathe some life into the creative process, making the band's latest album Elements of the Infinite one of their finest efforts yet.

One of the things that draws me into their art is the balance they bring to the form. While they are quite adept at high-falutin' concepts like the Golden Ratio (1.618), Dyson Spheres, and Gravimetric Time Dilation, they don't take themselves so seriously they can't have fun. For proof of the latter, check out their tongue-in-cheek video for 1.618 which features the band trying to decide in what style the video should be made, resorting to spinning a wheel of various subgenres with hilarious results (with thrash hitting quite close to home).

The Bottom Line: Technical melodic death metal can easily get way in over its head, but Allegaeon have always managed to keep a tight reign on their music, making the experience not only enlightening but damn fun to thrash to.

- Genghis thought the glam metal vision needed more hot chicks...