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Communic - Hiding From The World review




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Reviewer:
7.6

47 users:
7.51
Band: Communic
Album: Hiding From The World
Release date: November 2020


01. Plunder Of Thoughts
02. Hiding From The World
03. My Temple Of Pride
04. Face In The Crowd
05. Born Without A Heart
06. Scavengers Await
07. Soon To Be
08. Forgotten

It‭ ‬has been the year when most people have been forced to hide from the world,‭ ‬it is a good thing that Communic have not.‭ ‬The Norwegian fierce trio still resonates with me for their quality progressive thrash/heavy metal from the mid-2000s,‭ ‬when they were likened to bands such as Nevermore and,‭ ‬to a lesser extent,‭ ‬to Evergrey.‭ ‬15‭ ‬years after their brilliant debut album‭ Conspiracy in Mind‭‬,‭ ‬surprisingly not much has changed.‭ ‬ Nevermore may be no more but Communic are still Oddleif Stensland‭ [‬guitars,‭ ‬vocals‭]‬,‭ ‬Erik Mortensen‭ [‬bass‭] ‬and Tor Atle Andersen‭ [‬drums‭]‬.‭ ‬They are back with their‭ ‬6th full-length album‭ Hiding From The World‭.

Throughout their career,‭ ‬these musicians have stayed true to their sound with mixed results.‭ ‬Their recent albums have not had the same success as early on.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬that‭'‬s no reason to dismiss them altogether.‭ ‬So for the record,‭ ‬this record is no exception.‭ ‬Expect the usual epic‭ ‬7‭ ‬to‭ ‬10‭ ‬minute-long tracks with breaks and tempo changes to be the norm.‭ ‬Their sonic core remains in place:‭ ‬Ever tight rhythms,‭ ‬strong and powerful riffs,‭ ‬and Oddleif‭'‬s vocals are astonishing as always.‭ ‬The fact that they manage to create and sustain this massive sound‭ ‬-‭ ‬and have been for a long time‭ ‬-‭ ‬as a trio is astounding.‭

However,‭ ‬as their overall style has not‭ ‬evolved too much since inception,‭ ‬there is a certain nostalgia that creeps up as the music rolls in.‭ ‬It is that wave of feelings I had a hard time interpreting upon first listen.‭ ‬Once I was able to reconcile what was happening,‭ ‬the songs started to grab me.‭ ‬Melodies started to sink in.‭ ‬Shortly thereafter,‭ ‬a thought started to take form:‭ ‬the overall mood is a slightly‭ ‬more reflective one than on their previous works.‭ ‬That atmosphere blossoms on the title track,‭ ‬it is strengthened by the excellent mid-tempo‭ "Born Without a Heart‭"‬,‭ ‬and affirmed by the closing duo of‭ "Soon to Be‭"‬ /‭ "‬Forgotten"‬,‭ ‬which constitutes what is essentially a heart-wrenching power ballad.‭

The‭ ‬heavier songs slotted before and in between do not break the spell.‭ ‬If anything,‭ ‬they evoke a sense of‭ ‬déjà-vu,‭ ‬which might explain my aforementioned nostalgia.‭ "My Temple of Pride"‬,‭ ‬which is probably the best of the bunch,‭ ‬would fit on‭ ‬2006‭'‬s‭ Waves of Visual Decay‭‬.‭ ‬In the end,‭ ‬I can only observe how the slower tunes end up being the more intense ones.‭ "Born Without a Heart‭" will likely emerge as the best composition for most listeners,‭ ‬whether newcomers or die-hard fans.

While the constant high energy that ensured their breakthrough years ago may be behind them,‭ ‬ Communic's cohesion and the maturity of their songwriting are ever so strong.‭ ‬Sure,‭ ‬Hiding From The World‭ is not perfect.‭ ‬But it does achieve its purpose,‭ ‬which was to prove that this sound is still relevant.‭ ‬It is.‭ ‬Overall all the boxes are ticked,‭ ‬so we should be glad for this album and let us all enjoy it like a fine wine‭; ‬with a connoisseur'‬s appreciation and with(out‭)‬ moderation.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 7
Production: 9





Written on 19.12.2020 by Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:

"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"

I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math.


Comments

Comments: 4   Visited by: 85 users
19.12.2020 - 09:54
Rating: 8
DarkWingedSoul

Well written, this album wont change the world, but its fun to listen to
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19.12.2020 - 14:18
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Good written dude, i will check this out, seems band to check out.
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
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I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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21.12.2020 - 18:20
Rating: 8
tominator
At best deranged
I saw the title track pop up yesterday on YouTube and I recognised the cover art from your review, so I gave it a listen. Sounded pretty good to me, nothing too surprising, but enjoyable to listen to. Might give the whole album a listen one of these days.

Love the review btw, gives me a clear idea of what I can expect.
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27.02.2021 - 00:03
Rating: 9
frequenzangriff

Its not innovative, nor does it stand out, but its a tipical communic album and its sounds fantastic as such
and this makes me like this band so much, the new album sounds recognizable and fresh at the same time
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