Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form And Function

Published July 18 2010

*=Staff's pick	The Cleansing The Renewal Across the Folded Line* The God Particle* Biomech - Vals No. 666 From Seed To Throne* Atrophy Of Hippocrates Point Of Disfigurement* A Cosmic Question Accelerated Evolution

Genre	Melodic Death Metal	Ezra Haynes	Vocals
Tracks	10	Ryan Glisan	Guitar
Runningtime	54 Min.	Greg Burgess	Guitar
Label	Metal Blade	Corey Archuleta	Bass
Release	20 July 2010	Jordan Belfast	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboard
Producer	Dave Otero
Similar artists	Arch Enemy, The Absence, Impious

The waiting is over. Two years ago Allegaeon released their self titled EP, and I can say that the wait was worth it. Fragments Of Form And Function is showing a band very proficient - and they have the songwritingability to boot.

Although the music on Fragments Of Form And Function isn't totally original there is ample evidence that Allegaeon belong to the group of bands that have the chops to stand out against the otherwise largely mundane melodic death metalscene. Given that this is the band's debut album, I can't wait to see what they're bringing out on the next record.

What impresses me most is the playingskills put on display here. Guitarist Ryan Glisan's and Greg Burgess's playing is just pure joy to the ears. The rest of the band isn't bad either. Jordan Belfast's playing is tight, fun to listen to and, most importantly, in total sync with bassist Corey Archuleta. Ezra Haynes growling is very good. He has such a nice rasp that I find somewhat similar to Amon Amarth's Johan Hegg.

For those of us that have heard the EP, this is indicative to the fact that I think that Allegaeon isn't one of those bands that only have a few good songs in them, and I wouldn't be surprised if the band has more songs than those 10 on this record. Almost every single song has elements in them that makes me like them, be it a nicely played solo, good growling, blasting drums or just very good melodies. Above all, the songs show a band that does know how to write good songs on a strong, consistent level.

The production is nice and fat - just what the songs demand - and you still hear everything very clearly.

Fragments Of Form And Function is a record that very much makes me looking forward to following Allegaeon in the years to come, and if you're into quality melodic death metal, I strongly advise you to check this band out.