Allegaeon – Fragments of Form and Function (2010)

Over the last few years we have noticed that the metal scene in the United States is finally deviating from the ‘commercially safe’ crap and it’s finally producing some kick ass bands like Allegaeon that makes you double check to see if they are indeed from the US. Hailing from Colorado, Allegaeon comes to take the US Melodic Death Metal crown in a heart beat.

Some people might say that there are still some fashion-core remains in this band’s music, and at some points they have some Black Dahlia Murder influences, but we see the bigger picture: a band trying to sound different than most American bands these days. Notice we say different and not original, since bands in Europe have been doing proper Melodic/Technical Death Metal for years and nobody seems to consider this a feat anymore.

Stereotypes aside and regardless of the band’s geographical origins, Allegaeon has great sound that will resonate in your head hours after you are done listening to “Fragments of Form and Function” The band’s technical abilities are unquestionable as they craft some of the best songs we have heard from this side of the world. Every song has a nice underlying guitar structure, being only melodic sections or blistering solos, Ryan Glisan and Greg Burgess, do a great job heading the guitar duties.

Vocally, Allegaeon sounds a bit more like all the American bands playing Deathcore/Metalcore since the screams are aggressive but not as impressive and ‘well defined’ as other bands. This does not mean they are bad at all, is just that sometimes they sound a bit odd for us. But they vary just enough to keep the listener engaged through the album.

The band’s drumming is very tight and shines just enough when needed. The production is crystal clear and it makes the drums sound great, and even more impressive when paired with the guitars. Everything is mixed just right since you can even hear the bass guitar sometimes (many releases tend to drown it on the mix).

If you are looking for a band that sounds different in the super crowded US Metal scene, we completely recommend you check out Allegaeon’s debut album “Fragments of Form and Function”. Just because of the guitar acrobatics this album is worth check out, adding powerful vocals and tight drumming to the mix is just like extra icing on the cake. We expect more and bigger things from this band in years to come and we hope they don’t go Metalcore anytime soon.

Release: July 20th, 2010

Country: USA