Communic - The Bottom Deep
Nuclear Blast
Power/Prog Metal
10 songs (1:00:15)
Release year: 2011
Communic, Nuclear Blast
Reviewed by Khelek

I'm sure many Communic fans, me included, were excitedly waiting for the follow-up to the excellent Payment Of Existence. The wait ended earlier this summer when The Bottom Deep was released. This album does not deviate much from the usual Communic game plan, and yes that is a good thing. You're going to get a bunch of long songs, most of them well over 6 minutes, most of them saturated with heavy guitars, infectious melodies, memorable riffs, and of course the powerful vocals of guitarist and singer Oddleif Stensland. This is the kind of music that modern metal should be; something old-school in the melodies and song writing, but with a modern technical exactness and complexity that I find really engaging and fresh. The trio from Norway have delivered once again.

The atmosphere created by this album is the usual dark yet still energetic feeling, with the guitars being the most prominent in both their melody and heavy power. Facing Tomorrow is up first with the usual big, heavy riffs and powerful vocals of Stensland. It's definitely a song that's easy to get into and the melodies stick in your head. A fine way to start the album off. The guitar work, as always, is expertly done. This song also has a bit of everything in terms of emotion, ranging from anger and aggressive energy to melancholy. The opening of Denial is a bit drawn out, but it's a good song. The chorus, like most on the album is repetitive and memorable, though I found it to get a little old. After a furious drum assault, Flood River Blood starts off heavy, yet still with an air of melancholy in the verse, but the chorus gets faster, harder, and reminds you that this is truly a heavy metal album that you can rock out to. The opening to My Fallen has a foreboding tone, and the drums and simple guitar make this tension even more apparent. The guitar riffs come in soon, creating a heavy, yet still slow, atmosphere. After the first verse, the guitars pick up the pace along with some faster drums, injecting some much needed energy into the song. Most of the emphasis is put on the vocal melodies here, and fortunately they are catchy and memorable. The guitars still play a major role in making the song more and more energetic, so by the time you're halfway through it's moving along quickly. Destroyer Of Bloodlines also focuses on vocal melodies intertwined with heavy riffs, but starts off pretty fast and stays that way. Wayward Soul probably has my favorite opening of any song on this album. It provides a dark yet calm atmosphere with clean guitars and synths, and the smooth vocals of Stensland. The drums are used to build intensity, followed by wailing guitars and excellent clean singing. The lyrics are quite repetitive, as per usual, but the music is the main focus here.

Long story short, if you have enjoyed the past couple Communic albums, you're going to like what's here. It's mostly more of the same from the band, though of course that can make it a bit monotonous at times, and there are a few times when I was thinking "Wait, haven't I heard this before?" Ultimately that did not do much to lessen my enjoyment of this album however. It's big, it's heavy, and it keeps you entertained in different ways on each listen. The songs are interesting and unique enough from each other that they will keep you coming back for more. I do feel that this album is a slight step down from the previous release though. The songs are slightly less energetic and original, and the power of the atmosphere isn't as consistent over the full length of the album. I just couldn't find a song on this album that I liked as much as Raven's Cry or The Abandoned One, although that's not to say In Silence With My Scars or Wayward Soul won't send shivers down your spine. I have simply been unable to stop listening to this album for the past several weeks or so, and at the end of the day that says it all for me. Communic set the example for a band that is still in their prime and still have plenty to bring to the table.

Killing Songs :
Facing Tomorrow, Flood River Blood, In Silence With My Scars, Wayward Soul
Khelek quoted 85 / 100
Other albums by Communic that we have reviewed:
Communic - Payment of Existence reviewed by Thomas and quoted 88 / 100
Communic - Waves of Visual Decay reviewed by Adam and quoted 84 / 100
Communic - Conspiracy in Mind reviewed by Cody and quoted 70 / 100
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