Communic: The Bottom Deep (2011)

Review

I've mentioned before that I love American-style power metal. The more aggressive, less cheesy cousin of the Euro variety does exactly what I want it to do. And Norway's Communic is about the only European band to do it the American way.

The Bottom Deep is the band's fourth full-length. If you've heard them before, you know what to expect. If not, chances are you've heard Nevermore, and that will put you in the right frame of reference. Jeff Loomis-style thrashy power metal riffs with the occasional pinch harmonics, peppered with the occasional undistorted section, with an operatic, emotional vocal performance. Cool riffs, big drama.


I've only heard the acclaimed Waves of Visual Decay before this one, but from looking at average review scores it seems the band is slowly losing steam. Bottom Deep has nothing on Waves, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. There's plenty of great riffs here, and even the occasional great hook, but there's no one song that jumps out to stick in your head. No "Fooled by the Serpent" here. And the whole thing has this morose quality that gets tiresome after nearly an hour.

They're clearly talented performers, but they need to latch onto a bit more power in their power metal. Get the adrenaline pumping next time.



The Verdict: The Bottom Deep isn't going to make anyone's end-of-year list. Communic is still a good band, and they still have talent (and riffs), but with no real standout tracks and an album that doesn't vary in mood, it's tough to make it through this one. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.