THE PHYSICS OF FIRE

Becoming the Archetype may not be the most progressive of metal acts here on progarchives. Their music is rather straight forward at times, to a point where it might bore non-fans of more "extreme" metal. However if you are a fan of the genre, Becoming the Archetype actually bring together two very different approaches of metal together beautifully.

The band started out their career with the very good 'Terminate Damnation' a record which leaned more towards metalcore and straight forward death metal. However, it wasn't until 'The Physics of Fire' was released that they fully entered the progressive metal genre; highlighting the wonderful progressive aspect of their music that 'Terminate Damnation' failed to realize completely.

There are a number of things that make this band deserve their spot here on progarchives; aside from the obvious tempo shifts and intricate song structures in their music. They are one of the few bands that have attempted a fuse of metalcore(a genre I generally dislike) with progressive metal and succeeded. The result are epic songs with tons of raw power coupled with beautiful harmonics and interesting rhythm sections-- free of the angsty teenage feel of metalcore and the over pompousness of progressive metal. The result is fantastic.

The one thing that might turn people away from this band are their religious views and the way they express it in their songs. There are some pretty cheesy and provocative lines here and there. If you are a die hard atheist or dislike religious undertones in music; this might turn you off from the band.

If you are a fan of "extreme" metal and have an open mind towards metalcore and Christian metal, I'd recommend you to give Becoming the Archetype an honest try! You'd be surprised how much 'The Physics of Fire' grows on you just after a few listens.

A masterpiece within its rather limited genre.

4/5