Fractal Universe - The Impassable Horizon (2021)

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With the Progressive/Technical Death Metal scene getting crowded, it is hard to find releases that are both excellently crafted and technically proficient. It takes good musicians to do the latter, but an excellent band to do first. France’s Fractal Universe have been slowly refining their trade and with “The Impassable Horizon” the band reaches new heights. Rivaling cohesive albums from bands like Between the Buried and Me and Obscura, this release is brilliant in all its aspects.

Opening with “Autopoiesis”, we instantly get blistering onslaughts of crafty drumming, intense guitar solos and a wide variety of crushing vocal arrangements. Not stopping at just awesome, “A Clockwork Expectation”, “Interfering Spherical Scenes”, and “Symmetrical Masquerade” perfectly blend virtuosity with excellent songwriting skills. With influences ranging from more traditional Tech Death Metal, to Jazzy and even Groove/Djent Meshuggah-esque elements, each track is a unique and expansive musical journey.

With short track lengths, the band shows multiple facets to their style as we get between “Falls of the Earth”, and the jazzy and dreamy “Black Sails of Melancholia” to name a few. Our personal favorites have to be the sublime “A Cosmological Arch” and its moody tempo changes, and the cinematic antics of “Godless Machinist” alongside its piercing guitar riffs.

Closing with the unplugged “Flashes of Potentialities”, the band showcases their collective talents and versatility all the way to the last second. “The Impassable Horizon” is one of those releases that the more you listen to it, the more perfect it becomes. If you like technical music with cohesion and well displayed virtuosity, Fractal Universe is a band you can’t miss out on.

Band: Fractal Universe Album: The Impassable Horizon

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: February 5th, 2021

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Genre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal

Country: France

Rating: 95/100
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