Between new releases from Archspire, Rivers of Nihil, and Jinjer, to name a few, 2021 was not short of albums that left you "needing a minute" after each listening. That said, take the holiday season to have that breathing time because Enterprise Earth is coming in January to leave us all breathless with their upcoming release, The Chosen (eOne).
From the word go, the album flattens listeners with a barrage of brutal breakdowns, super tight instrumentation, and symphonic keyboards. Tying it all together is vocalist Dan Watson's wide range of techniques, ranging from ear splitting highs to thundering lows, and to stellar cleans.
Coming out of the gates swinging with "Where Dreams Are Broken," for those of you who were too young to catch Chimaira in their prime, this song is not unlike how it was in 2005 when their self titled album came out. But don't get too comfortable in the groove, there is still the chorus and alien-like breakdown that raises a glass to the stylings of Born of Osiris in a unique way.
Trying to keep up with "Reanimate-Disintegrate" in the pit is probably going to snap a few ankles: the tempo changes and syncopation are too hard to resist throwing down to but require planning before attempting. Watch your step as well with "Legends Never Die" and its circle pit -into-breakdown riffs. As both songs have music videos on YouTube, you'll have time to prepare for the show.
To get a top level view of what Enterprise Earth is capable of, keep it tuned to "Unleash Hell". Beyond the merciless breakdowns is a head spinning solo delivered by guitarist Gabe Mangold, which is bookended by acoustic passages. Likewise, "Overpass" and "Unhallowed Path" give Dan Watson a chance to display his clean singing range, which is really refreshing among all the screams and growls.
At over eight minutes long, the title track is perhaps the most melodic of all the songs on The Chosen. Marrying djent and symphonic black metal, the environment switches from ice cold somberness to face melting aggression several times. If Allegaeon and Glass Cloud turned up the black metal dial, you would have something similar to this offering.
The Metal Mayan Rating: 4.5/5
With such a variety of influences, I could write a mile long list of "For Fans Of..." as a recommendation. Instead, I will shorten it to "there's something here for everyone who loves extreme music."
The combination of tech-death and deathcore among young bands, such as Enterprise Earth, with a long career ahead of them continues to be perfected. Expect great things to come from these heavy hitters as they push the limits of what we knew about all things extreme.
Visit your local record store and pick up a copy of The Chosen, coming out January 14, 2022 on eOne. Catch Enterprise Earth on tour in the U.S. with Fit For An Autopsy and more from January through February!
Advance album copy courtesy of Earsplit PR - Earsplit Compound
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