Planetary Duality

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The Faceless, back and revamped
So, I pre-ordered the album as soon as they became available, with a lot of wondering, how would the new album match up to the old. I guess this is the biggest fault I made. Their both completely different, and both excellently executed in their own measure. I must admit, I was at first put off, wasn't as blown away as I was by the previous, and to be honest, I think it had to do with the large amount of contributing musicians on the last album. Several different drummers, putting in their own unique beats, that I feel it made it feel more...unique. This is not to say "planetary duality" is not awe inspiring in it's own style and approach, different...yes, but that's what it should have been, I didn't want Akeldama part 2, I wanted a new Faceless album, and this most obviously is different. The adjustment was really the only time I didn't love it, but given some space, and a couple good listens, I've found that all the songs are just as treasured as the previous attempt, and I applaud their effort to continue to be more than just a band, but a musical movement within their own right.

Amazing album, but lacks that little "something".
The Faceless has always been one of my top favorite technical metal bands. They definitely broke through the mold with their debut release Akeldama, and definitely don't disappoint with Planetary Duality. The album clocks in at just over the 30 minute mark, and hold true to their style from beginning to end. My only complaint is that there are only 9 tracks on the album, which barely considers it to be "full-length" and unfortunately does contain a filler track unlike its predecessor Akeldama. Maybe with their next release, they'll decide to write a little bit more material to give their fans a little more to listen to. Planetary Duality has a dark, spacey feel to it when you pop it in. Especially when you look at the lyrics for the second of the two titles tracks, "Planetary Duality II: A Prophecies Fruition", a nice little theme that works out well for the technical sound that they adhere to. Overall, its a great album and I highly recommend that any metal fan purchase it. It's very well produced and sounds great coming out of any stereo equipment. As far as play time goes, that's the only disappointing factor.

More Tech, Less Prog
When I first caught ear that The Faceless were releasing a new record I probably almost blacked out from pure excitement! Their first record Akeldama is still in regular rotation from when it was first released about 2 years ago. There was a lot going on with that record, with the breakdowns, melody, unexpected twists and turns and all the proginess that ensued. With this record you get more of a straight forward style of 'Tech-Death', Which is definitely not a bad thing when done right, which is the case here. Most of the record is not the direction I thought the band was moving toward, but it is still worthy of a five star review in my book and the band actually raised the bar again regardless of the lack of prog incorporated into the record. I still give this band props for originality and brutality. Maybe a few more listens and I will change my mind and find more proggy moments here and there.

A somewhat lateral step for them and not what I expected to hear.
Their first album, Akeldama, was a nutron bomb as far as I'm concerned. It had 3 different session drummers, all equally incredible, some truelly great guitarwork that isn't often seen in "technical death metal," and some songs that had hooks that really stuck in your head, somethign this form of death metal just doesn't do. Planetary Duality is still a top-tier performance piece by a relativelly young band and is a great show of skill in terms of their technical prowess. Something detracts from it though for me because they are now receeding into a more common-place form of Tech-Death and sound almost exactly like any other band from the genre. There are still some outstanding moments, including but not limited to song #7 on the album, Legion of the Serpent, which is more of what I wanted from this band on this album. What made the first record unique was the amount of melody and neo-classical riffage went into so many Tech-Death tunes. It was something only a handful of bands do effectivelly(such as All Shall Perish) and their version was absolutelly mind-blowing. The other minor issue I have with this album is that its really just 6 songs long. There are 3 songs that ARE songs, but they don't get past 2 minutes, so it sort of leaves you wanting more since they are over before they begin. I usually expect a full 9-10 songs, but always hope fro upwards of 12. I know a band as creative as this has it in there, but perhaps they are simply going to release a new record within the next year(PLEEEEAAAASE DOOOO! m/ ). This is a great record to be sure, but its not the spectacle Akeldama was, so come into this record with your mind open for change. I think its unfair to expect somethign so much better after such a great debut, so I will reserve my judgement until at least their thrid album. I simply hope they don't regress any furhter into Death Metal mediocrity.