NEURAXIS

It is hardly surprising that "Live Progression" from Montreal technical death metal masters NEURAXIS is an easy one to recommend for fans of the band and DM mongers in general. "Trilateral Progression" knocked more than a few dicks in the dirt and this performance recorded in Quebec City during the tour for that album does exactly the same thing. Tight, monstrously heavy, and given a crisp mix by Jean-Francois Dagenais, "Live Progression" brutalizes nicely and sounds fantastic.

Vocalist Alexandre Leblanc (POINT BLANK RAGE, ATHERETIC) replaces Ian Campbell and the band doesn't miss a beat. But then, that should come as no surprise either, considering that NEURAXIS defines what it means to fire on all cylinders at all times. Of the disc's 11 tracks, "Thought Adjuster", "The Apex", "Monitoring the Mind", "Clarity", and "Shatter the Wisdom" are taken from "Trilateral Progression", which suits me just fine, as I'm rather fond of the last studio release on Willowtip. Those unfamiliar with NEURAXIS' work should know that the style played is technically accomplished, yet somehow more accessible than most tech-death bands. Snippets of melody do find their way into the compositions, thanks in large part to some tuneful leads. Melodic death metal this is not though. Personally, I love the guitar work of Rob Milley and William Seghers (ex-QUO VADIS); it is so precise, yet still full of feeling, and the riffs are crunchy as hell!

"Live Progression" demonstrates further that NEURAXIS are among the elite of the tech-death genre. As for the merits of the album itself, it's simple; if you liked their previous output and are OK with live albums, there is nothing to dislike here. Like most live discs, it offers the newbies a nice introduction to the band's work. That's about the size of it.