Band:	Communic
Album:	The Bottom Deep
Style:	Progressive heavy metal
Release date:	July 22, 2011
Guest review by:	R'Vannith

01. Facing Tomorrow
02. Denial
03. Flood River Blood
04. Voyage Of Discovery
05. In Silence With My Scars
06. My Fallen
07. Destroyer Of Bloodlines
08. Wayward Soul
09. The Bottom Deep
10. In Union We Stand [bonus]

Dark and brooding is Communic's latest offering and with comparisons between this outstanding three-piece and the looming presence of Nevermore, they attempt to venture further away from their inspirations. Ironically to do this they've decided to focus on the heavier aspect of their sound. The result, however, is not the same impeccably composed progressive epics, but a stunted series of sorely underdeveloped tracks which bear little resemblance to quality like you would find on Waves of Visual Decay.

All members of the band are performing to their high standard once again but this time they're not punching out the same complex thrash-groove infused progressive metal. Each track bears the cleverness of previous efforts yet fails to proceed anywhere; the catchy guitar work and vocals of Oddleif are collected here in a garbled approach which fails to leave any lasting impression. There are memorable moments, but the problem is they aren't fashioned into the complex yet coherent tracks which slowly build on themselves. The simple fact that the tracks are shorter on this effort isn't the sole reason for this but it is the emphasis they seem to place on the heavier aspect to their sound which seems to have detracted from the progressive element; no grandiose build-ups here but rather shorter bursts of occasionally attractive riffs repeated over and again without leading anywhere.

Tracks like "Voyage of Discovery" and "In Silence With My Scars" severely impact upon the overall impression of the album, offering little but padding and bring down some of the more commendable songs. That said there are glimpses of past glory, "Denial" being the outstanding example sounding more on par with previous albums.

On its own merits the album fails to deliver any reward for repeated listens; sure the album's got that even heavier groove-laden sound but it trudges along without guiding you to any truly great moments that were so abundant on efforts such as Waves of Visual Decay. What is commendable however is the change in direction; this album doesn't exhibit a lack of new ideas and it is in fact littered with them. The tracks are all the more punchier yet The Bottom Deep represents both a breath of fresh air as well as leaving the band in obviously unfamiliar territory, their new focus not quite bearing fruit.