Quinta Essentia "Archetypal Transformation" CD

2nd full-length from the masters of dark, tastefully technical, and versatile extreme metal. Quinta Essentia have crafted a new opus of mysticism and darkness far beyond any expectations! Encompassing savagery, and somberness in all of its thought provoking journey!

So, the second album by these American lads, and the follow-up to "Neutrality for defined chaos", an album I liked but didn’t love. But they’ve had a couple of years to develop and mature, which they certainly have. With "Archetypal transformation" they present a talented band with a nack for writing complex and diverse metal.
It doesn’t take more than half a second before my interest kicks in, just the opening riffing gets my attention. And before the first minute is over I’m in awe. This is so bloody rad! Black, thrash and death metal are being widely thrown about. Not a single track go by without major tempo changes, as the frantic blasting suddenly slows down into (still frantic) technicality, just to turn into a hellish break with clean vocals chilling your spine. The ferocious scream carries such a freaking raspy undertone, and when it switches into the sudden clean outbursts I get goosebumps. And I’m still just on the first track, which just switched into a mid-tempo, old school thrash guitar solo-bit…
This is nothing short of killer. I’m extremely impressed by the natural flow, no matter which direction the song takes. There are so many different aspects to the music, so many different tempos, such cool ideas, awesome vocals, wicked riffing, mind-blowing drumming… It’s like taking Belphegor, Kult Ov Azazel, Behemoth, Deicide and Impious all in one. I can’t really explain it, but with all the aspects taken into consideration this is one diverse album, that flows oh-so-naturally. I can’t but recommend this to any fan of complex, technical and brutal metal.

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