Tupan Auckenrose is a new band, playing what we could call progressive metalcore, with “djent” riffs, many tempo changes and odd times signatures. But is not brutality all the time, there's some melodic passages too, and some avant-garde leanings, mainly in the long song Cognitive Dissonance. Unfortunately, the production is not very good, being noisy sometimes. Although, the listening experience is not totally ruined. The vocalist tries to varies his techniques, from clean to death metal growls, and the instrumentalists are skilled. They only need a better production to record a full length. This EP is free for download at http://auckenrose.bandcamp.com. There's no excuse to not listen!

The Block Inhale Silence

Rhode Island death metalcore act Auckenrose formed in early 2009 and this is their first release since then. Starting out as a solo project, Auckenrose soon developed into a complex, and very good three piece band. Metalcore is definitely not one of my favorite genres, and I don’t end to look into much from the genre, but Auckenrose put “Physis” up for free download and how could I refuse? Today it is important for people to hear your music so that they can get to know your band, especially when you’re a newer band such as Auckenrose. By doing so bands get a wide audience and I hope that is what happens here.

The music on “Physis” is very sound and compliments the vocals well. This EP reminds me a lot of Between the Buried and Me’s “The Great Misdirect”. Not only does Auckenrose sound similar to them, but the format of the EP is quite similar also. “Physis” starts out with a cool, slow track, ‘Inhale Silence’ much the same as “The Great Misdirect starts out with a slower song, ‘Mirrors’. ‘Inhale Silence’ is a very cool track that is different from all the others on the EP. Not only is it all instrumental, featuring great guitar work from Daniel Tonski, but it isn’t metalcore at all. After the first couple of seconds this becomes quite self evident and the song eventually takes on an alternative metal sound, which is really cool.

The rest of the album is pretty standard metalcore, with great drumming from Andrew Lima and also some nice bass licks. An out of the ordinary thing that I picked up was the interesting jazz section on ‘Cognitive Dissonance’. That really added flavor to the album, cleanly dividing the heavier ‘Awakening (Your Truth)’ and the almost death metal ‘Archaea’. One thing about this album though is the vocals. While I don’t hate them, I definitely think they could be improved on. They seem a bit muddled, I don’t know if this is because of the production or not, but that is my one complaint.

As I just said the production is one downside of this EP. Granted, it was put up for free download and all that, but I would’ve appreciated more zing, or power, from the guitars. Also, as I said before, the vocals could be brought higher up in the mix because they are a bit muffled.

Besides from those production issues, though, this EP is a great start for Rhode Island metalcore band Auckenrose. Combining great death/metalcore sound similar to Between the Buried and Me and softer less intrusive metal, Auckenrose has put out an EP that is not only good, but free. For this release Auckenrose gets 3 stars, but I can see future releases easily eclipsing this one.

Time Signature Awakening (our metalcore)...

Genre: progressive/eclectic/technical metal(core)

First let's talk breakdowns. The metalcore genre has been criticized for beating breakdowns to death, and I have read many reviews of many metalcore releases in which the reviewer complains about there being too many breakdowns. The guys in Auckenrose remind us all that breakdowns are not necessarily a bad thing - there are plenty of breakdowns and instrumetal sections on this release... and they don't suck! They're groovy, catchy, and headbanging-inspiring, and some of them are even a bit wacky (just check out the funky cowbell accompanied outro of "Cognitive Dissonance"). This is truly original music, and Auckenrose have really revived metalcore with their innovative approach and total disrespect of genre boundaries. So, thank you, Auckenrose, for showing the world that breakdowns can still be awesome.

Anyway, the overall approach on this EP is very eclectic and, although the base seems to be breakdown-ladden (we've already discussed this) and heavily groovy metalcore, Auckenrose takes us on a dark musical journey across many genrescapes, combining aggressive thrash metal sections with melancholic 90s-style alternative rock sections, and even some gothic doom metal riffage (as in "Exhale Silence"), throwing in some progressive and wonderfully wacky stuff, such as the said funky outro and a jazzy interlude in the same track (well, it sounds like Primus playing jazz), and the grindcore fans will be pleased to know that there are a couple of blastbeat sections, too (which are prominent in the "Archaea" - a track that also contains one of the most kick-ass breakdowns ever). All the heavy stuff is interrupted by mellow but still dark clean-guitar interludes, which both adds an interesting contrast, but also fits the dark atmosphere like a glove.

I pretty much like this release as it is, with one exception - and this does not have to do with the production, which is good enough for me. To be honest, I miss guitar solos and lead guitars, and I think that these would really have added a further dimension of melody and provided that last bit of variation that would have taken this EP right up to the top.

In all, this is a very impressive first release, and - along with Trusted Few and White Walls - one of the best newcoming progressive metalcore-oriented acts I have heard recently. If you're into metal for the thinking person, you should check this out.

Andyman1125 Cognitive Dissonance

Auckenrose is a young Rhody based progressive deathcore act. Phsysis, the band's debut EP, is a tasty mix of progressive metal, deathcore, and jazz-tinged groove metal. The compositions are each interesting, with death and melodic breakdowns spicing up a rather dead (ha, I made a pun) genre. Although the production quality is a bit lacking and the overall atmosphere of the music seems a bit amateur, the debut is a great introduction to this young deathcore act who are sure to pop up on metal radars now and in the future.

Inhale Silence is a mellow opener; it is comprised of some nice clean guitars and quiet drumming. Although this opens the album's theme of unprofessional production (the song has an odd reverb effect that doesn't sound like it was intended), the music is nice and pleasant.

Awakening (Your Truth) opens with a heavy deathcore riff session, with math influenced rhythms and rapid fire guitar chugs. However, this great moment is ruptured by the appearance of a certain flaw in the band's music - the clean vocals. Mostly due to production flaws, the vocal melodies, although nicely harmonizing the music, have a very harsh dissonance to the, alienating the great music behind it. However, the band is able to recover with a great breakdown that slips almost into the sludge department. Overall, the song, musically, is really good. Some really great death passages are contrasted beautifully with melodic passages. However, the main flaw with this song, as I've stated before and will most likely state again, is the production. The mixing and production flaws are glaring, and seriously detract from would most likely be a much better song.

Cognitive Dissonance is the powerhouse track of the EP, opening with a rapid thrash metal riff session and even dipping into some Opethian metal feels. The transition from the heavy thrash death section to the melodic section is a little awkward, but the melodic section does turn out to be a really great piece of music. Utilizing some nice guitar melodies and rhythmic backing, the section is a nice dynamic for the song. Another rather interesting dynamic to this track is the "jazzy" section near the end, showing the band's quirky willingness to experiment with their sound. In the end, the song is definitely the high point of the EP and, even with the production flaws (which are significantly less apparent in this song, other than the awkward bass drum mixing), it is a really great track.

Arachaea is the pure deathcore track on the album, with intense insane riffing and rapid fire gravity-style drum beats, typical to the genre. The short song has no shortness of ferocity, to be sure, and really fleshes out this band's roots.

Exhale Silence is the least "metal" track on the album, with less straightforward deathcore atmospheres and a much more ambient feel to it. Opening very slowly and with a mellow guitar melody leading the way, which eventually leads into a power-chord field day, more reminiscent of a hard punk track than a deathcore track. However different it is from most of the band's material, the song has a nice atmosphere to it, and closes the EP on a more relaxed note than the insanity that preceded it.

ALBUM OVERALL: There are two main aspects that have influenced this rating: 1) the music that is being played, which is quite good, and 2) the production quality of the music, which is quite bad. Of course, the music takes massive priority over the production quality, but the quality of the recording, more akin to a demo than an official EP, needs to be considered. Auckenrose have truly whipped together a great collection of tracks, each with their own set of dynamics and qualities. However, the mixing and production really can't do it justice. Each of the songs also have glaring flaws in quality that alienate the music, most obvious the watery mess the bass drum sounds like. Overall, however, the EP is good, and, with more careful analysis of the production value, the band's future material shows great promise. 3+ stars.

J-Man In the modern day and age of internet distribution, self-releasing albums and EP's for free download seems to be the way to go for many new bands. Rhode Island-based progressive deathcore act Auckenrose has used this format to release their debut EP, Physis, in March of 2011. The technical/progressive deathcore scene has quite a few mediocre acts releasing albums using this method, but Auckenrose is one that's actually worth more than just a passing glance. Physis is a unique and innovative EP with challenging songwriting and intricate details that demand repeat spins. For a free download, there's certainly not much to lose here.

Auckenrose plays a mix of deathcore and progressive metal, but delivers the style much more originally than you may expect. There are also a few touches of jazz fusion and post rock here that may surprise unsuspecting listeners. "Inhale Silence" is a brief progressive intro that segues into the much heavier "Awakening (Your Truth)". The alternating clean/growled vocals add extra variation into Auckenrose's sound and the musicianship is also excellent across the board. "Cognitive Dissonance" is the highlight track here - this is a generally powerful song, with an interesting jazz section in the middle that builds in a manner similar to that of Between the Buried and Me. The track does feel a bit inconsistent at times, but Auckenrose's adventurous attitude doesn't go unnoticed by me! "Archaea" is the heaviest moment here; this one is a straight-up deathcore assault. The final song contrasts quite nicely with the rest of the album. "Exhale Silence" is played in a mellowed-out post metal style and is filled with tasteful builds and unforgettable melodies.

This generally strong EP does have one major flaw, though, and that's in the production department. It's not unlistenable, but it is of demo-quality. The guitars lack bite, the bass drum often has a weird reverb, and the mix is generally unprofessional. Of course, for a self-released debut EP this is a standard complaint, but I have a feeling I may have enjoyed Physis significantly more if it had a professional production.

Despite my gripes with the production, this is an EP worth checking out (especially for free download). I have a great appreciation for innovative young bands like Auckenrose, and although Physis has its shortcomings, it's an exceptional debut from this American trio. 3 stars are well-deserved in this case. I'll be keeping an eye on where Auckenrose heads in the future.