ESTUARY

It becomes immediately apparent from the orgasmic shredding heard on the instrumental opener ("Enduring the Illusion") of ESTUARY's "The Craft of Contradiction" that the Cincinnati band has taken is mix of death and thrash metal to new heights. "To Exist and Endure" spoke vociferously to the band's intent on mixing death and thrash with undercurrents of traditional heavy metal, but "The Craft of Contradiction" is the sound of an act that has brought it all together into one cohesive whole.

A smartly written, science fiction concept album of sorts, the story revolves around a highly developed extraterrestrial race that has pulled the strings of earth's evolution (or devolution to its current state) since the beginning of time. Everything from the fantastic Tony Koehl artwork to the song sequencing gives the album the holistic feel that so many bands stumble over in matching music with lyrics. After the aforementioned intro, the album launches into the meticulous riffing of "Creation Damnation", beginning a journey that will leave you exhausted and drenched in sweat when it's over. What comes next is the earth-shattering, one-two punch of "Lies of Promise" and "Trans-dimensional Scourge". My god, words like "blistering" do not do justice to the fiery riffing and absolutely hair-raising soloing of Ash Thomas who also provides perfectly placed shrieks to the increasingly confident vocals of monster growler Zdenka Prado ("lead gut & throat" indeed!). The blazing solo break on "Trans-dimensional Scourge", coupled with a rhythm part that is just fucking intense, will in fact rip off your face. As for Prado, her vocals are more intelligible than what is heard on "To Exist & Endure" and the patterns are exceedingly well done, especially considering that a death metal growl does not always translate well with the best-intentioned patterns.

But it does not end with the Thomas-Prado tag team. The work of drummer Jesse Wilson is simply brilliant here. Blasts are utilized only when necessary and his highly skilled style is an integral component of the arrangements, the percussive coloration and nuance transcending technicality and offering the listener a style that is both natural and spilling over the sides with passion.

As strong as the songwriting is on "The Craft of Contradiction", perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the album is the eschewing of traditional down-tuned death metal riffing in favor of a thrashier mix. Even so, death metal remains a primary element, the mixing of the two styles as accomplished as I've heard on a release in a long while.

On "The Craft of Contradiction", ESTUARY has, simply put, nailed it. It is one of the few albums that may in fact appeal to both diehard thrash and death metal fans because of its seamless integration of the styles. The album is a good bet to end up on this writer's year-end list.