Band:	Fractal Generator
Album:	Macrocosmos
Style:	Atmospheric death metal, Brutal death metal
Release date:	January 15, 2021
Guest review by:	yoless2

01. Macrocosmos
02. Aeon
03. Serpentine
04. Contagion
05. Chaosphere
06. Shadows Of Infinity
07. Pendulum
08. Primordial
09. Ethereal

Blasting skulls from the very first seconds of the album, while marching to the furthest reaches of space and getting to the deepest darkest areas of the cosmos with absolutely charming and captivating orchestral arrangements. That's how Macrocosm, the latest release by Fractal Generator, speaks.

Before diving into the usual soundscapes and details of the album, let's get to know a little bit about Fractal Generator. They're a Canadian band whose musicians are 040118180514 (bass, vocals), 040114090512 (drums), and 102119200914 (guitar, vocals): pretty creative names. Now, what do you think about when the words sci-fi technical death metal are mentioned? I bet you might think about Wormed, Ulcerate, or any other band within the wide variety. Fractal Generator also flows within this thematic. Macrocosmos is highly representative of this: the album portrays humanity facing the shocking truth that the universe is a simulation, after wandering the stars and getting to a distant solar system, hence the name Macrocosm, since the truth has been revealed and the theory of multiple universes proves to be right.

Now, about the compositions of the album, they include subtle elements that wander in the background of the multiple layers of guitars and instruments, which make an absolutely amazing sound: something out of this world is screaming to get into your ears to explode you from inside while hatching dark alien dreams. The synth melodies running sound like ghostly whispers, or something ethereal. The vocal style is vicious, dark, gruesome, and occasionally scary. Some moments where the vocals shine in brutality would be in the choruses of the opening title track, "Serpentine", and "Contagion", although they're greatly executed throughout the album. While this album reflects a pure love for technical death metal, the riffs are also very brutal, punchy, and odd.

Another factor that needs to be mentioned would be the different approaches from the compositions: while some songs are more focused on the orchestration ("Macrocosmos"), other tracks are more experimental. Such is the case with the glitches in "Shadows Of Infinity". Also, malevolous energies are conjured with the choruses that dance around the chaos in "Chaosphere".

Now let's get into something different: the story. Something is wrong with humanity's home, which is the reason why they must seek out other worlds. Worlds beyond any comprehension are witnessed, obscure events unmask where monoliths envelop the universe in darkness. There are apparent shreds of evidence this is happening due to greater entities. The climax of the story of the album is delivered in "Pendulum". Humanity was able to get to outer space, and at the end they discovered the truth, realizing something unimaginable: early human ancestors had scattered in this journey of survival a long time ago, being the very architects of the universe. The song depicts this in a very straightforward parade of brutality, including some dissonant melodies towards the end to increase the atmosphere of the songs towards the horrific discoverments of the story. What does await for humanity after this? Something even more twisted up and darker: the Matrix-ish future, where the deepest secrets can't still be decoded, and where the machines reign. Macrocosmos can get seriously frightening from time to time. Where "Pendulum" leaves his remainings, "Primordial" continues the climax with the same formula. Also, the vocals adopt a more artificial and robotic style to represent this.

The conclusion of this amazing story reaches its final stage in "Ethereal", when nothing remains except for the acceptance of the horrible and cruel destiny all lifeforms have. Instead of the brutal, energetic, and fast parade of riffs, the band slows down to introduce the ending with something that feels surprisingly peaceful, to progress it into something, indeed, ethereal towards the end, with the catchy melodies, a dreamy piano, and a majestic orchestration. The story wraps up properly.