Band:	Noneuclid
Album:	Metatheosis
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	May 2014

01. Paranoid Alkaloid
02. Cult Of One
03. Buried Forever
04. Across The Mist Of Broken Glass
05. Into The Light, Pt. 1
06. Into The Light, Pt. 2
07. Into The Light, Pt. 3
08. The Black Plague Of The Soul
09. To The Zombievores
10. None So Lucid

Given the amount of music released nowadays, criminally unknown bands are no new phenomenon. Noneuclid, consisting of three core members of Dark Fortress, the new Obscura bassist Linus Klausenitzer, and one Bruce (not in the band anymore), is paradoxically one of them. Their second and latest album Metatheosis had apparently been collecting digital dust on somebody's computer for seven years until it was released by Blood Music last year. I hope to find the backstory of this gross negligence when I get my CD, but for now I assume that besides having no time to find the label that would release such unconventional music, Morean was satisfied playing parts of it with orchestras and even launching an official collaboration with Orchester des 13 Tons while continuing recording Dark Fortress albums.

Despite the abundance of extreme metal bands that allegedly "do things differently," Noneuclid have managed to conjure up an entity of compositions that stands apart and above the replicated and pigeonholed genre fusions (like technical death metal). Sure, you could call this record technical or progressive death or thrash metal, but when you play it, you will see it is not exactly what is usually referred to by those labels. In actuality, these guys took the best of extreme metal (primarily thrash, death, and black) and wrote music without limiting themselves to any "rules of the genre."

Metatheosis is a complex record, not only from the rhythmic perspective but also (and more importantly) due to its unorthodox songwriting, remarkable variety in instrumental technique, and multi-layered compositions. Vocal diversity is as engaging as instrumental: thrashy gruff vocals by Bruce are alternated with his clean baritone on calmer (or proggier) passages and Morean's blackened shrieks on correspondingly grim parts. Each song, fast or slow, aggressive or tranquil, is a cornucopia of richly textured, free flowing, dynamic music, always bestowed with either a great melody, intricate solo, tempo shift, memorable vocal line, or all of those at the same time. Put that into the framework, which combines the three classic extreme metal genres and a bit of experimenting, and you get a truly unexpected, fresh-sounding body of music, which, nevertheless, could suck if it were not executed and put together well, but luckily it is. Musicians playing on Metatheosis lack neither precision, aptitude, imagination, nor, for that matter, pragmatism. Yes, you do get quite atypical layerings of acoustic guitars over galloping riffs or accentuations by the drummer, but you are never choked to death with unending riff changes. You will be surprised - not bored - by the slower compositions because of the copious arrangements. And yes, you will hear a lot of odd time signatures and syncopation, but you will enjoy them - not get tired of them. It is that fortunate case of innovation by seasoned musicians.

Without exaggeration, production of this polymathic behemoth plays almost as big a role in the overall sonic experience as the music itself. While overall the record could be described as having a dense, dark atmosphere, the sound is nevertheless strikingly clear, letting the listener hear the amazing job that was done recording the drums, enjoy occasional pop-ups of fretless bass, decompose the multiple layers of some songs, and even grasp the details of outright chaos spawned out on others (think Deathspell Omega). Kudos to everyone that had something to do with mixing and mastering this record.

Frankly speaking, I have merely scratched the surface of this profound musical creation with this review. What has been created with Metatheosis is just hard to convey in words, so let me stop my futile attempt of "dancing about architecture" right here and let you discover and explore this opus on your own. Name your price and download here.