Review by Jason

Overshadowed by the corpsepaint, the leather gauntlets peppered with spikes the size of Goliath’s toothpicks, the utter grimness and unending blasphemy of Norway’s most (in)famous cultural export, black metal, most Norwegian bands that haven’t sold their souls to the cheerless one barely get a look in. Try typing ‘Norway metal bands’ into Google and you’ll more than likely get a long list featuring black metal bands and not much else. Among many others, Communic are further proof that Norway’s metal scene has more to offer than the grim pantomime it’s most famous for. Three years since their last release, Payment of Existence, Communic have bestowed upon us The Bottom Deep, a richly emotional and musically diverse album that integrates styles from a host of genres into its broad aesthetic.

Communic take the ‘prog’ label – whether self-applied or bestowed upon them by others – to heart and purposely draw on their musical strengths and a broad range of styles to create something that situates them further outside the reach of any one identifiable genre. The interplay between musicians is commendable and they know how and when to use the dynamic possibilities of each instrument – including vocals – to their advantage and give each song its own identity. Yet there is something missing. Though dynamic, the songs can be formulaic with upsurges, lead breaks, vocal warbles, and all the other tricks of the trade where you’d expect them. That said, Communic never fall back on the tried-and-trusted elements found in other Euro power metal bands. The down-tunings give the songs a darker edge that emphasises the melancholy and atmospheric nature of the album. The album has plenty of grooves and up-tempo sections and heaviness is a chief trait, with even doom metal making a subtle-yet-noticeable appearance in ‘Denial’ and ‘In Silence With My Scars’. And Stensland's dark register is moving and is more akin to US power metal and his operatic style – possibly more an acquired taste for most – demonstrates a gifted vocalist who can turn the power on when and where it’s required, and makes a telling contribution to The Bottom Deep.

Clearly highly adept in all things melodic, harmonised, and rhythmic and willing to experiment with all three, this is moody, mellow, and heavy – sometimes all at once. Though The Bottom Deep isn’t breaking any new ground, Communic are up there with Finland’s Amorphis and Switzerland’s Samael in propagating a brand of metal that reveals a significant side to their homeland’s metal scene. They may have a way to go before they can break out of the shadow of their ugly big brother black metal, but The Bottom Deep is a step in the right direction. For fans of dark power metal, this is highly recommended.

www.communic.org