The Scalar Process — Coagulative Matter
Technical death metal is an interesting beast. Taking the speed and skill of an already fast and tricky genre and turning it up a notch is no easy feat. Add to that time changes, odd signatures, and stop on a dime breakdowns, and it can be near impossible to play, let alone play well. But with this, bands run the risk of overshooting the mark and creating something quite cold. The Scalar Process are clearly in control of their instruments and are able to wield them with both precision and (properly allowed) mayhem. The fretboard acrobatics on display are very high in the mix, and for good reason: any lower and the drums would obliterate them. Propulsive and explosive, the drums on Coagulative Matter are insanely fast, and are quite a spectacle. They would need to be, too, with all of the frantic guitarwork laid on top of it. Nicely nestled into the mix, the vocals are the right amount of guttural with a blend of scratchiness. Although wonderfully arranged and well played, many songs here seem to be missing something, like the focus on the precision of the instruments caused them to overlook a bit. Often, the songs feel soulless, like a robotic skeleton. But then a song like "Poisoned Fruit" plays and the band really shines. The riffs feel different than the other tracks, the drums meld, the mix is better, and it feels less artificial. Built with both hits and misses, Coagulative Matter is a bit uneven, but a really inspiring debut.
Thankfully on more often than off, Coagulative Matter is quite an impressive album, especially for a debut. Reaching some lovely heights and showcasing major technical ability, The Scalar Process will be a band to keep your eyes on in years to come. Evening out their sound a bit, being more cyborg than robot, these guys will certainly be a force to be reckoned with