Reviewed by Greg Sammons

Woah! This is an epic piece of metal mastery! Stick all possible elements of powerful and passionate metal into the melting pot and you come out with an amazing piece of technical and progressive, yet intense and brutal, metal. And to think this is their debut! I haven't heard a better debut on Solid State since Demon Hunter: aptly it was that band's Ryan Clark who spotted Becoming The Archetype and brought them to Solid State/Tooth & Nail. Sure they have some great fast and powerful tracks that last the typical length, but it's the five-minute-plus tracks that really take your breath away - particularly "The Epigone", "Ex Nihilo" and the 11-minute long "Elegy"! The technical brilliance on these tracks, and the album as a whole, simply takes your breath away - especially when the pay off from a three-four minute foray in progressive wizardry is a bone crunching breakdown that satisfies the strongest of cravings! I think specifically of "The Epigone"; with its dramatic opening, its guitar meanderings matched by guttural vocals and then, wait for it, here it comes, "THERE IS NO OPPOSITION" shrieked in repetition, followed by the fattest breakdown you'll ever need. The closest comparison I can muster is perhaps Opeth or an early Extol - certainly the Scandinavian sound seems stronger than the American one. Lyrically this album deals with simple yet powerful themes, leaving a clear message of hope, love and war. But you almost don't care what they're singing about because the music is powerful enough as it is!

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