The 2013 Arsies: January 25, 2013

January 25, 2013

We finish up the week with two outstanding pieces of prog metal mastery: Chimp Spanner and The Faceless.
I've already called Chimp Spanner's All Roads Lead Here a triumph. It's immaculate, faultless. And the irony of this competitive situation is that, aside from the release's short length, its perfection is its main weakness. If it's not a prime example of laptop metal, it's indistinguishable from it. The lack of flaws of any kind, the lack of vocals, the relentlessly logical progression of musical motifs... all this combines to leach away some humanity. Not a lot, but enough of it (and consistently through the listening experience) that it's impossible to ignore.
While The Faceless's Autotheism is also chock full of pristine performance, it's still a very human record. Also, it's twice as long as the Chimp Spanner. It's a journey through a more varied landscape. And The Autotheist Movements are majestic. Simply stated, while Chimp Spanner is more technically flawless, The Faceless has more than enough of an edge to take the day.
That's it for another week of metal. Come back on Monday, as Gojira battles Shadows Fall.