Track Listing

1. On Ancient Ground
2. Abandoned One
3. Becoming of Man
4. Payment of Existence
5. Through the Labyrinth of Years
6. Raven's Cry
7. Unpredictables of Life
8. Stone Carved Eyes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59956 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
What happens when a new band bring out a superb debut album and then a superb follow up. Answer - chances are they'll struggle to keep the momentum going. This isnt a bad, album bad sadly a shadow of their previous two. This album is too heavy thus losing a lot of the progressive & technical metal sound which had been unique on their previous albums. Better luck next time !!

Norway's best power progressive band!
For close to three decades now, Norway has been viewed as the epicentre for what is know as `black metal' and many great bands have been spawned from this genre like the popular Emperor, to name just one. Moreover, in the last few years a progressive metal renaissance has started to gather momentum in Norway and like their corpse-painted compatriots, a number of bands have garnered a reputation for themselves like, Pagan's Mind, Twisted into Form, Spiral Architect, Circus Maximus and Winds. Communic are exponents of this creative talent that is on offer, gathering worldwide prominence for themselves as they deliver a blend of kerosene fuel progressive metal. Comprising of founding member, guitarist, vocalist, writer Oddleif Stensland (ex - Scariot), bassist Erik Mortensen and drummer Tor Atle Andersen (ex - Scariot), the line-up has remained intact since the debut, `Conspiracy in Mind'. `Payment of Existence' is the latest opus in 2008, being the third in Communic's discography and this band is intent on setting their sights towards metal supremacy. What is enterprising about this three piece is every album created is a uniquely different affair, yet all the key ingredients associated with the Communic sound are still there.

It is interesting to note their progression from `Conspiracy in Mind', which stylistically was a far more watered down and simplistic album in nature (still a fave of mine), but this was their debut and I felt they were still trying to carve a reputation and were not quiet at the level they wanted to be at. The sophomore release, `Waves of visual Decay' was a incredible second strike, again the maturity displayed on this album from the debut was prominent as they wove a rich tapestry of impressive song writing prowess, cohesive musicianship into each and every track. This album did have a melancholy vibe to the proceedings, more so than on `Conspiracy in Mind' as the lyrics added support to the music by dealing with social issues like homelessness, depression etc, which did give it a sombre mood along with the ominous artwork that supported it. I am sure most fans will want to know what this new album has to offer. Fear not, as the anticipation for `Payment of Existence' was bound to be extremely high, but Communic is a band that knows how to give value for money by the spade load and with this the album plays out to a total of 62 minutes of pure unadulterated metal. `Payment of Existence' is built on the same building blocks as the past two releases.

The melancholy atmospheres have diminished for a more up-beat heavier vibe, the song writing has drastically improved (not that Communic ever suffered from mediocre song writing in the past) as they play down the line of mainstream power progressive metal. The music has less variation than `Waves of visual Decay' had, as on that album there was a mixture of slower songs for example, `Frozen asleep in the Park' or `At Dewy Pine'. On the new album, all eight tracks are played at a heavy tempo and the usual intensity levels are still there. For those that have not had exposure to the band before, their style is akin to Canada's Eidolon from a technical point of view, as the manage to combine fearsome riffs/solos, subtle yet adventurous background keys, powerhouse drumming, with ever changing rhythms to stunning effect. Oddleif Stensland is the principle songwriter for the band and he sure knows how to fine-tune his song writing ability. His guitar work is rich and vibrant and the riffs are what make Communic who they are. Stensland's vocals are gleaming as ever, clear, precise and full of emotion and he is just a great listen. He has previously been dogged with the Warrel Dane (Nevermore vocalist) tag by the media and fans alike, which was true to a certain extent on earlier outings, but this time around there is no trace whatsoever.

Andersen is amazing percussionist with a unique style, but what I appreciate about his playing is the use of little flurries of footwork on the bass drum, which are intermittently scattered across the album. He can certainly hold his weight with some of the better-known drummers in the business. Mortensen is the perfect accompaniment to the band as his bass work is crystal clear as he gives the band a real heavy low-end sound. Listening to his work on a few of the slightly slower tracks, he is very impressive indeed. Again, a guest musician has added keyboards to the music; this time around, it is Kim Olsen's turn from Danish power metallers, Anubis Gate. The keyboards are very subtle in approach by adding dept and atmosphere, but if you were doing something and not concentrating on the music then you might just miss them - that is how subtle they are. The production duties have again rested in the hands of long time Communic producer Jacob Hansen, and as usual, the production is well defined with every single instrument represented perfectly in the mix. His production work is on a par with anything that the mighty Andy Sneap (esteemed British producer) could do, so that says it all. I would encourage individuals that like to travel down the heavier spectrum of progressive metal, to check Communic out, as they are a phenomenal band that has so much untapped talent, it is unbelievable. `Payment of Existence' is a textbook example of just how this form of progressive metal should be played when it is done properly.