The Neologist – Coming Full Circle (Self Released)

Thursday, 12th February 2015
Rating: 7.5/10

Just after 2015 had begun, a Bandcamp email came through the pipeline stating that The Neologist’s newest release, Coming Full Circle, had been released. The Neologist had done some high quality cover albums of some big melodic death titans (In Flames and Soilwork) as well as some of their own material, but from the initial play of Coming Full Circle, it seems their delivered their strongest effort yet.

If the intro didn’t cover it, melodic death metal fans (particularly those of Soilwork, Solution .45, Scar Symmetry, and older In Flames) will be able to tackle this one with ease. It’s not too far off the beaten path, but quite effective for what it is (and for only being a two-piece). Full of slick melodies, massive hooks, eloquent solos, and even acoustic breaks (which are well-placed and meaningful), it seems The Neologist has the Gothenburg sound down to its most essential ingredients. It does lean a bit on the modern side, but things never scoot over to far towards the metalcore direction. One of the other ingredients the band has down is the harsh/clean vocal act. There are a significant number of clean vocals, but they have a less “poppy” structure to them than you might expect, which keeps the band from that sometimes cheesy and mainstream approach. “Winter’s End,” “Color of Beauty,” and “Scarlet Awakening” are the current go-tos for catchy choruses. Jon Howard (of Threat Signal) even stops by on the opening track, “Same Psychotic Wavelength.”

Anyone with a weakness for well-played melodic death metal should get a kick out of Coming Full Circle. There’s plenty of crunch to balance the melodies, and it seems the band is ready to take their game to the next level. The whole album is streaming and free downloads are available at their Bandcamp website. Why not check it out?

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