UMUR
"Crescendo Dezign" is an EP release by Swedish technical/progressive death metal act Theory in Practice. The EP was released independently in January 2017. Theory in Practice went on a longer hiatus after the release of their third full-length studio album "Colonizing the Sun (2002)", but returned to the scene in 2015 with the "Evolving Transhumanism" single. "Crescendo Dezign" features the same lineup who recorded "Evolving Transhumanism (2015)". The Sjöberg brothers, Peter on guitars and bass (appearing under his pseudonym Peter Lake) and Patrik on drums, and Andreas Lyngmo on vocals.
The "Evolving Transhumanism (2015)" single featured a continuation of the technical/progressive death metal sound of "Colonizing the Sun (2002)", almost to the point where the listener didn´t notice the 13 year gap between the two releases, and "Crescendo Dezign" continues down the same musical path as those two releases. The musicianship is on a very high level, and the tracks feature several jaw-dropping technical parts, loads of tempo- and time signature changes, and also a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere (sometimes enhanced by keyboards), which along with the technical playing creates the right environment for the material on the 5 track, 19:23 minutes long EP to shine. The vocals are predominantly aggressive growling, but there are a few clean vocal parts on the EP too.
"Crescendo Dezign" features a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material on the EP well. Nothing on "Crescendo Dezign" is left to chance. It feels like there is a plan for everything and that it´s a plan Theory in Practice have worked on in detail and are now executing with seamless ease. These guys are seasoned professionals and it´s a joy listening to a release as convincing as "Crescendo Dezign". Fans of technical/progressive death metal with a sci-fi atmosphere are recommended to take a listen. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.