Conclusion
The friendly beardos of Architecture of Aggression were not content with Christian blasphemies alone. Nay, nay, they decided to take a stab at all the desert peasant religions on this ambitious concept album. Regardless of your opinion on Islam, Christianity or Judaism, if you like technical death metal with a solid groove, you'd be content with this album.
Review
Lyrically, this album borrows from the Bible, the Quran and Richard Dawkins plenty. I shall not venture on this too long because the concept of memes and how religion is a destructive one is quite popular of late. Read The Selfish Gene if you are interested in the topic.
Richard Dawkins, who wants to eat your young, apparently.
By the time of their previous release, the band had just completed their stable touring lineup. One of the tracks that resulted from this unholy union is Systems of Control. That track more or less sets the tone of the new album. It also happens to be one of my favourite A.O.A tracks, so this album heads in exactly the right direction for me. They self-released it and practically gave it away for a mere R50 at the launch gig.
Some highlights of this album are the closing track, Requiem for a Meme, with its chanting and horn section (yes, you read that right), the middle tracks, Designer Religion and Immaculate Deception, and House of War. It's also fun to hear the Boere accents bashing religion.
My favourite section is the last section, which focuses on the atrocities of Islam. These tracks have a Middle Eastern feel to them, with their exotic rhythms and scales used to personify the region and its religion.
Overall, this album represents a transitional album for the band, moving from a comfortable duo to a slightly more dynamic power trio. Sometimes the results are amazing and sometimes the results are a little rough around the edges. I feel this represents a positive change, as the band members are not staying in their comfort zone.
Individually, the tracks take some time to get going and to get locked into a groove. Some fans rate their previous releases higher, though I disagree. I think this new album is their best yet and deserves a couple of listens. To me, it is always good when a new album makes you feel uncomfortable at first and then comes back to haunt you over time.
Track listing
- Sol Invictus
- Memetaphage
- Brutal Belief
- Covenant
- Peadophage
- Religion of Love
- Designer Religion
- Immaculate Deception
- Verses of the Sword
- Slaves of God
- House of War
- Deus Ex Memetica
- Requiem for a Meme
Personnel
- Van666 Alberts: guitars and vocals.
- Anton 'Belial' Alberts: drums, percussion and vocals.
- William Tempest Bishop: bass, trombone, keyboard and vocals.
Rating
Buy it, listen to it and give me your rating for a change.
