Critical Assembly is a band with an eclectic palette of influences in metal. Ranging from thrash to Melodeath, and even some Metalcore and Blackened Death Metal perhaps, they seem to draw from a unique well. Their new Self-titled EP is being released on 3/6/2020 and is a full demonstration of this breadth. The first song, "17 Months", has this plethora of influences located in it's textures for sure. Featuring growls, barks, and some unique clean vocals that almost remind me of Serj Tankian a bit in it's delivey, it's a cool song that goes different places. The second song, Moonwalk Backflip, starts out much more like the denizens that have called bands like At The Gates, In Flames, or Killswitch Engage as influences. Somehow though, as cynical as I have been about the Metalcore scene in general, the harsh vocals don't have the annoying quality that I usually see in Metalcore influenced stuff. It then goes back into more melodious fashion and into clean vocal territory as well, and has a slight progressive tinge as well in a way. The third song, "Drop Trow", starts out mid-paced like the last song but then goes into the modern thrash territory that the first song had in common with it (but with ultra heavy breakdowns in between). Some of the vocals almost have a Lemmy quality to them, albeit at a lot more of an extreme. Piramideth is the final song of the EP, and has that modernized groove metal thing going but with a unique tinge that doesn't owe too much to cliches. The clean vocals almost have a slight Anselmo or Kyle Thomas (when doing more melodic vocals) thing to them. Almost a ballad compared to the last few songs due to it's more airy and atmospheric quality, this is an interesting change in pace.
The band definitely has potential and I can see this appealing to a wide range of Metal fans.
You can find more info on Critical Assembly from the following resources:
Website: www.criticalassembly.com
Facebook: www.faceebook.com/criticalassembly
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNboOsGjXQg6wZQ2YkVlung
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6rjI3StcYddsE0BbjXvRoK?si=CrmlP_rDRzW9wQbHCK3Oig
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