[REVIEW] the FACELESS – AUTOTHEISM

Artist: the Faceless
Record: Autotheism
Label: Sumerian Records
Year: 2012
Wiki: any accuracy or inaccuracy can be credited here

I finally had a chance to listen to the Faceless new album Autotheism. It was a love hate relation upon initial listen, but after a while it seems to have grown on me. First the negative criticism is only due to a lack of originality in my opinion. For one thing I can hear significant influence from EXTOL, Opeth and even a little Alice in Chains. I was certain they borrowed from Extol‘s “Mesmerized” album, but it’s only a certain resemblance.

I think they bring enough to the table to where they are beginning to develop their own sound and originality to a often stalemate of a genre, this being death metal. The lyrical content is interesting to me, and a almost encouraged movement towards a completely different way of thinking and your personal worldview, of course the contributive signifier being the abandonment of any kind of belief in a god. I personally don’t have enough faith to not believe in/idea of a god, but have been on the fence for several years now, concerning a lot of the lyrical themes presented here. I got into the lyrics a bit, because of the obvious theme aptly illustrated on the album.

This is probably their most experimental album to date, which is meant in the best way possible. Where Akeldama left you bored off your ass and Planetary of Duality pulled you up by your bootstraps, Autotheism has nestled  itself comfortably as a credible Metal band. Something I would otherwise disbelieve with their older material.

For the most part this album is a catchy audio assault, with more good than bad. But please erase the song “Eidolon Reality”, for whatever reason this just annoys the fuck out of me. Other than that, high grade Metal here.