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BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE
I Am

Solid State (2012)
Rating: 6/10

Becoming The Archetype burst onto the global scene in 2004 with their debut Terminate Damnation. The Atlanta, Georgia-based progressive death metal outfit made an immediate impression with songs that mixed heavy rhythms with beautiful moments of inspired melody. Keyboards and sitars were no stranger to the sound Becoming The Archetype forged. This eclectic mix of tranquility and bone-crushing metal made each new Becoming The Archetype release an adventure of unknown sonic landscapes. Until now.

Change is a fact of life, and Becoming The Archetype have seen their share of change in recent years. Line-up changes starting in 2010 have left only one member remaining from the band’s debut, rhythm guitarist Seth Hecox. Just since their last release, 2011’s Celestial Completion, Becoming The Archetype have replaced a vocalist, bassist and drummer. This same album saw the debut of lead guitarist Daniel Gailey, leading to a situation where only rhythm guitarist Hecox remains from the line-up just two albums ago (2008’s Dichotomy). Obviously, I Am was bound to be a different kind of release for Becoming The Archetype.

So how does it all pan out? Vocalist Chris McCane, bassist Codey Watkins and drummer Chris Heaton are all skillful musicians, and the new band is tight. I Am opens with a short melodic intro which tears into the hardcore and death metal stylings of ‘The Ocean Walker’. So far, so good. McCane is a straight heavy metal vocalist and furious growling abounds. Gailey’s Eastern inspired lead guitar cuts through the mix and is downright creepy at moments. So far, very good. The only problem in this new approach is that this equation remains fairly unchanged through the remaining tracks.

Exiting the first track, ‘Time Bender’ and ‘The Eyes Of The Storm’ provide the listener exactly the same experience. While there is a small appearance of keyboards in the former and some bells in the latter, they are largely buried under heavy riffs, rather than giving the listener a tranquil oasis amidst the violence as on previous releases. ‘The Sky Bearer’ opens with a promising riff that mixes melody and discord, but returns to a death metal approach with a nod toward bands like Snapcase. A melodic interlude in the midst of this track gives us a glimpse of days gone by and turns a humdrum song into a surprisingly striking listen.

Following this track we return to the same. If this sounds like it’s all gloom and doom, and not in a good way, there are pockets of brilliance on I Am. Gailey’s lead guitar work verges on virtuosity on ‘The War Ender’ and ‘The Planet Maker’. ‘The Sun Eater’ contains a hook filled with vocal harmonies that, oddly enough, remind me of the better moments of Saigon Kick (only vocally, of course). The title track closes the album with beautiful piano work that escalates into a standard death metal rhythm with a bit of rapping, or at least syncopated speaking, toward the end. Other than these few standout moments the majority of I Am sounds much like one lengthy song.

Did Becoming The Archetype make a bad album? Not really. They didn’t make a Becoming The Archetype album. While this is a decent standard death metal album it lacks the inspired creativity the band is known for, and that has made me a fan from the first listen. Very few bands are able to retain their core sound and fanbase after the exit of key members. Black Sabbath did well bringing in Ronnie James Dio (vocals), but that was Dio – you can’t go wrong with Dio. Even with such an obvious change, Tony Iommi (guitars) retained his iconic playing style. I Am shows Becoming The Archetype turning down a new road, venturing away from their trademark style. Unfortunately, the results can best be described as adequate, when previous releases were nothing less than stellar.

Jim McDonald

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