Band:	Chosen
Album:	Resolution
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	March 30, 2013
A review by:	Boxcar Willy

01. Engines Of Belief
02. Defective Prospection
03. The Narcissism Epidemic
04. Mental Clarity
05. Diminishment
06. Instinct
07. Asch's Paradigm
08. Metaphysical Contradiction
09. The Departure Lounge

Technical-djentcore? Count me in!


Metalcore, technical death, djent, even some folk?

Heck yes.

Upon first listen, the explosion of technicality and skill rained down on me like a grand piano in an old silent film. Expecting your standard, boring metalcore experience, I was pleasantly surprised.

The guitars have a djent hint on them, but not enough to convince me that Vildjharta has been lurking around the studio. Heavy open string chugs further the djent experience. These chug-a-lug riffs are balanced out by some classic tech death, multi-scale riffs. Harmonics and beautiful melodies combat the heavy crushing force of the lower end. The drums here are a bit of a letdown. Generic, blasting double bass, and generally unmemorable. They are also mixed a little low, but this only improves the sound quality of the riffs, so no complaints from me. The vocal department is one that is quite bothersome. They're really a blatant Jens Kidman and Meshuggah rip-off. If I hadn't read the info sheet, I probably would have thought it was Jens. Being so similar, it is really easy to hear the flaws in the screams. Imagine a less experienced Jens: those are the vocals. The barked vocals are combined classic Isis-esque cleans; a nice way to round out the sound, and add even more layering, to the already complex mix. Acoustic guitars add even more flavouring to this metal meal. Mellow and soft, they provide a perfect contrast to the musical thunder-storm that is the rest of the album.

The production is surprisingly well done. Generally, it's butchered and over done on albums like these. Yes, there's no bass, but that's to be expected, as there is no bass to begin with. That's right, no bassist. Another slight disappointment, but Chosen manage to pull off quite the Pig Destroyer and sound very full with the missing 4-string.

Overall, I'm impressed. It may not be the most original, but the subtle mix of so many genres makes this quite an interesting listen.