Reviewed by Andy Shaw

This is the second studio album from the Atlanta, Georgia-based metal band, who feature former Becoming The Archetype bassist and vocalist Jason Wisdom. There are guest appearances from fellow Solid State/Tooth & Nail alumni including Garrett Russell from Silent Planet and Matt Baird from Spoken. After a slow building intro, the record explodes into life with the thundering beats and stabbing guitar riffs of "My Defiance". There is a good contrast of clean and scream vocals, at times doing battle with each other going back and forth on "It's Okay". Whilst the vocals are strong, it does feel like the instrumentation is the primary focus throughout with a range of synth sounds. Instrumental track "The Instability Of Proto Man" sounds like a jam session giving a chance to show off with changing time signatures and different instruments taking the lead. Synths often take prominence in the mix over the guitars, providing a melodic layer over the foundations of heavy distorted guitars on "Feels Like Fiction". The symphonic influences come to the fore to close the record with the two part "Darkening Counsel" sprawling out over 12 minutes and featuring more reflective moments rising to hard-hitting guitar riffs with a constant thread pulled through with the synth lines. There are some very complex arrangements on this record with many different voices used and it can be difficult to get them all blending together in the mix.

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