Band:	Dedicted
Album:	Argonauts
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	April 15, 2008
A review by:	Thryce

01. The Revenant
02. Heretic
03. Virgin Soil Epidemic
04. Crystalline
05. The Pathologically Grandiose Megalomaniacs
06. Rebirth
07. A Darker Shade
08. Argonauts

Shiver Records are known for signing record deals with relatively inexperienced but talented Belgian metal bands. And Dedicted are no exception as they are releasing their very first full-length album under the label. Just like some other bands the label has signed, Dedicted aren't a young band, as they are active since 1999, but it just took them quite a while and two demos before recording a full-length. But that it was worth the wait, and that this outfit if full of potential and freshness proves the fact that they are playing already at Graspop Metal Meeting, one of the biggest open-air metal festivals in Belgium and Europe.

What we have here is an album that definitely needs enough time to grow on you. The fact I start with a statement like that immediately stresses the intensity, complexity and versatility of this album. "Argonauts" definitely has a fresh and innovative sound, and that's really something, especially for the Belgian metal scene where this kind of metal is quite new (someone already called Dedicted the Belgian Textures). Dedicted are namely playing with a lot of technique that make the sound complex, as it is varying and surprising at the same time. Despite the sometimes daring calm/raging dynamic, intricate rhythm always stays the keyword on "Argonauts". It so happens that the pinpoint-sharp grunts of the main vocalist get masterly alternated with the clean and catchy vocals of the drummer, something I appreciated most on this album. In my eyes, "Argonauts" tells the story of the epic journey of the adventurous listener who learns to appreciate Dedicted's artificial structure, tangled with progressive riffs that symbolize the arduous riddles on your path. But before appreciating, you have to solve this riddles and evidently find this artificial structure, and this is where most people will get lost. But getting lost isn't always a bad thing though if you get lost in style, and this is were Dedicted is put in the picture. I will keep this review short as I feel it's getting hard to describe "Argonauts" further, moreover I believe that any supplementary elaboration will simply destroy the magnificence of Dedicted's complexness, and that's certainly not my intention.

As I said earlier, a lot of people will possibly be turned down after listening to this album. This is simply not an album that is suitable for the average metalhead. And without a doubt it needs time to grow on you whatsoever, but Dedicted's exiting sound can be bloody addictive afterwards, as I can tell. If you enjoyed the latest Meshuggah album a lot, Dedicted may be your new thing and then you can't hesitate to give this album a listen of course.