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Band Name: Reflux
Album Name: The Illusion Of Democracy
Rating: 4.5 / 5 User Rating: 4.4 / 5
Label: Prosthetic Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
Above the Pyramid and the Eye
Thoughts Dictate Reality
Ode to the Evolution of Human Consciousness
Sudden Realization...
...of What You Were Missing
-==- [*]
Single File to Bliss
There's No Sunlight in My Cubicle
Keats Persona
1984-2004
Modern Day Babylon
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Reflux dive headfirst into the infowar with a tremendous blast of seething thrash and ambient sound that is a scathing sonic indictment upon the blemished face of modern politics which seeks to bring injustice to light and is highly successful on several different levels at driving home a quite meaningful message. Hopefully, this is a band that will cause some people to think a bit about the world around them. But besides containing some entirely sane thematic concepts that are a welcome retreat from the norm, the band poses itself as an extremely talented musical threat as well, crafting music that is overtly creative and inspirationally constructive. The band delves deeply into many different moods, using layered dynamics, highly complex arrangements which are often manifested in odd time signatures and raging vocal grievances in order to create a sound that is all their own.
You have to admire the level of skill each player possesses on their respective instruments. Guitarist Tosin Abasi can shred hailstorms of notes, provide syrupy chugging as well as rip through intensely intricate chord voicings that create an immense soundscape that is nothing short of amazing. From sweep scales to single note hammering, the guy does it all here. Evan Brewer is all over the place on bass guitars, displaying a knack for holding things together during the more challenging tempos, while pulling off some awe inspiring tapping sequences that rival the best players in music today. Vincent Vinh has to have at least six arms in order to pull off the complicated beats he undertakes. Always seeming to come up with the perfect accent for the group's insane stop action mayhem and driving things to the brink, his drumming is simply top-notch throughout the record. Ash Avildsen is simply livid with fury on many parts of the record. It's obvious he strongly believes in that which he sings about and his level of vehemence reaches critical mass at several key points throughout the album. Keeping that in mind, he also shows great diversity in his approach, keeping things interesting with many different voices and vocal personalities along the way.
Every song on 'The Illusion Of Democracy' strikes the listener with an ominous force. There's no one standout track as the songs, taken as a complete work, all fit in very well together, giving this record an uncanny sense of balance considering that there is so much happening musically. The band must be commended for the inclusion of many liner quotes that give insight as to the meaning behind the record's lyrics. If one searches many of these quotes on the Internet, a wealth of great information is to be found that just might open the listener's eyes to some facts that are in plain sight, nut generally ignored in favor of distractions and entertainment that is solely fiction based. The bottom line is that Reflux kicks some serious ass on this album and for any metalhead, it should be required listening.
Review by: EF
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