Many scribes for this site have a familiar affinity for the melodic death metal style – possessed with the versatility it offers since its inception during the 1990s. Although arising in Scandinavian waters, there has plenty to get excited about from Germany these days. Fragments of Unbecoming started 25 years ago, releasing albums for Metal Blade and Cyclone Empire prior to signing with Apostasy Records who put out Perdition Portal in the spring of 2018. Beyond the ten new tracks put before us, we get two re-recordings of the first song ever in the band’s career “Fragments of Unbecoming” plus the title track from their fifth album “The Art of Coming Apart” – and the results will leave many breathless.
Excitement swells at the layers of guitars Sascha Ehrich and Stefan Weimar push through the course of this record – incorporating a mix of twin melodic lines, crunchy death metal, and extreme blackened tremolo activities. Check out the twisted mid-tempo to blasting propulsive action throughout “Thou Shall Eternally Wander” that soon presents a relatively calmer sequence where circular melodic runs penetrate the arrangement before returning to heavier, double kick-laden volcanic spots. “The Amber Emperor” serves as a nice aural breather – a three-minute plus instrumental that adds some epic doom riffs to the melodic death mix, sort of if Candlemass were to collide head first into early 90s In Flames.
Later on “In Times of Doom” provides that extra youthful angst where the quintet pushes the pedal to the metal – drummer Tobias Blach equally adept at blistering tempos just as much as slowing things down to a resting heart beat crawl. The band also are willing to throw in the occasional epic track that really showcases the band’s diversity, knowledge, and execution in this genre – “Lakespectre” an almost eight-minute offering that contains classical-like textures, blasting measures, fleet fret runs, and this sense of urgency in the growls/screams of Sam Anetzberger that you can feel immediately. It’s always interesting to hear how a more seasoned act will attack older material – in the case of Fragments of Unbecoming, it’s as if these two songs belong on the proper record, full of vigor, twin guitar harmonies, and savagery that stands the test of time.
Already familiar with the early discography of the group (Sterling Black Icon: Chapter III – Black But Shining a favorite), Fragments of Unbecoming may take their time these days in releasing albums but it’s all worthwhile in the end. If you love all ends of the melodic death metal spectrum, where other subgenres like doom or black angles can also filter into the proceedings, Dawnbringer: Chapter VII – The Amber Emperor will fit in your ideal collection.