"Progressive death metal band, A Novelist, from Lafayette, Louisiana, have released their debut full length album Portraits in December of 2015. With Portraits, A Novelist have created a captivating sound that is immensely technical and dynamic.
Portraits welcomes you with “A Progression of Hands,” a very slow and seducing jazz number that will undoubtedly leave you clueless as to what is about to ensue.
Rapidly changing pace is the second track “Rectilinear Acceleration” which opens with an exploding momentum. Charging forth with instantaneous blasts, A Novelist displays their undeniable ability to employ complex harmonies. Unrelenting and persistent, this track offers a full wall of precise guitar work and constant speed, setting the pace for the entire album.
Portraits relieves you midway through the album with a track entitled “The Hall.” The Hall has a very villainous sense about it (which the lyrics and vocal style have no problem complementing). Listening to this track, you get the feeling that you are floating out somewhere in space. As the song builds up, you begin to feel as if a looming presence is preparing to consume you, which then takes a drastic turn when the beginning scream of the next track “Birth (Minor Hallucinations)” comes howling in.
A Novelist provides some very influential musical breaks throughout this album that slow things up and add a bit of an atmosphere to what would otherwise be an irate technical mania. These breaks lend themselves to the dynamic I was referring to earlier. Take the final track “Parts Per Million” for example, where there is a break in the song that features sounds from the saxophone, and some very soulful guitar playing. That splash of Louisiana influence on technical metal is innate and adds to the progressive sound these guys create.
If you’re looking for something original, A Novelist is the needle in your haystack. Give Portraits a listen and appreciate what they have to offer."
For Fans of: Between The Buried and Me, Son of Aurelius, Wretched
- Sean McLennan
A Novelist Is:
Ben Nugent - Guitars and Vocals
Alex Babineaux - Drums
Justin Doan – Guitars
Glenn Aucoin - Keys and Sound design
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