_WE, INVADERS

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"We, Invaders" is an EP release that bridges the gap between Canadian progressive/avant garde extreme metal act Unexpect´s first two studio albums: "Utopia (1999)" and "In a Flesh Aquarium (2006)". "We, Invaders" was released through Galy Records (distribution handled by The End Records) in November 2003.

The music style on "We, Invaders" is somewhere between the more symphonic/neo-classical melodic death/ thrash/black metal of the debut album and the more avant garde influenced "In a Flesh Aquarium (2006)". The music leans more towards the latter though and especially the first two tracks on the EP, "Novaë" and "Rooted Shadows" sound very much like the material on "In a Flesh Aquarium (2006)". The quality of the material on "We, Invaders" isn´t as high though.

The musicianship has become much better since the rather weak debut album and everyone deliver a really good performance on "We, Invaders".

The sound production is also of a much better quality than was the case on "Utopia (1999)". The latter featured a sound production which more or less spoiled my listening experience.

"We, Invaders" is a decent release and serves as a pretty good teaser to the excellent "In a Flesh Aquarium (2006)" but it´s not an essential release to my ears. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved though.

'_wE, Invaders' - uneXpect (6/10)

Although 'Utopia' was the official beginning of this crazy Quebecois metal project, '_wE, Invaders' is the first time we get to hear the most recognizable incarnation of the band. While 'Utopia' was full of promise, weirdness, and bright potential, there were flaws in the execution that set it apart from the latter work, as well as a different lineup than the one we know today. As brief as this mini-album is, '_wE, Invaders' is an important mark in the development of this band; a stepping stone for their more involving work to come.

'_wE, Invaders' is a four track effort, with one song being a re-recording of a track from 'Utopia', and another that would eventually become fleshed out into a track from the band's magnum opus, 'In A Flesh Aquarium'. In almost every respect, uneXpect have tuned up their act and delivery; that's not to say that 'Utopia' was shabby by any mark, but over the years in between, uneXpect have fermented into a truly excellent band. The sound- as one might expect- is a bridge between the more traditional blend of metal on 'Utopia', to the who- knows-what of 'Flesh Aquarium'. As far as EPs in general are concerned, '_wE, Invaders' stands out for its depth as a listen. Despite only working with four tracks, much of the sound is dense and chaotic, with various vocal gurgles often fighting to lead the band onward. Violins are an important aspect of uneXpect's sound as always.

As far as the songwriting goes, 'In Velvet Coffins We Slept' is undoubtedly the album's highlight. A song that I first heard on 'Utopia', uneXpect gives their classic track a new once- over, with a sense of production and tighter performance more fitting of such a complex composition. The band shows many of their dimensions here, going from melodic black metal sounds to a brittle folk interlude, all within the course of one mini-epic. 'Novae' and 'Rooted Shadows' are more typical uneXpect tracks, with 'typical' meaning 'strange' and 'insane' in this case. All the same, for their weirdness, they are not too surprising to hear, and don't tread outside of the band's comfort zone, save for a few experiments with electronics. Lastly, the EP closes with a piano rendition of the song 'Chromatic Chimaera', a piece that many fans will more likely associate as the opening track on 'In A Flesh Aquarium'. Truly, it only feels like a shadow of the latter version. Despite being a quirky and technically accomplished piano composition, it lacks the dynamic and depth that I feel the full-band version would later bring to the table.

'_wE, Invaders' is certainly a worthy listen for any fan of Canada's avant-metal darlings, although it feels dwarfed by the band's full-length material, including their debut 'Utopia'. All the same, it is a necessary piece of the band's development into the jaw-dropping act they are today.

WE, INVADERS is the 2nd release by UNEXPECT in the form of a four track EP . It is the transitional link between their debut album "Utopia" which was firmly grounded in avant-garde death metal and the phenomenal masterpiece "In A Flesh Aquarium" where UNEXPECT tackles every musical genre and subgenre that exists and throws it all in a pot together. This album is the half way point between those two albums. I would say that it is a little closer to the following album rather than the previous as they are already adept at fusing many styles of music together seamlessly. It just doesn't sound as busy and densely packed with EVERY type of music.

It is also clear on this album that the template for their sound is based on classical music and it sounds like these musicians are classical trained and educated because they play this everything in a virtuosic manner. The piano runs can remind you of Mozart or Chopin while the violin sounds a lot like Paganini. On the metal side it can sound like traditional, death or thrash. Since the tracks are less busy they sound more melodic in a straight forward way as opposed to a poly-melodic one. One track "In Velvet Coffins We Sleep" is a remake of a track from the debut album while another "Chromatic Chimera" is a stripped down piano version of the track on "Aquarium."

All in all this doesn't sound like it should be an essential recording but I have really grown to love this band and I find myself picking this album up a lot because it is just so perfectly done. It certainly doesn't measure up to the following albums in complexity but that matters not for it is well-crafted and an enjoyable listen with a greater emphasis on classical melodic textures with subordinating metal and other musical genres. Not a masterpiece but a very strong album. Stripped down or gussied up, UNEXPECT is a band that delivers a unique musical experience unlike any other and this transitory EP is no exception.

'UneXpect' is one of those bands I discovered through this site and from reading reviews. I came into it expecting something similar to 'Sleepytime Gorilla Museum' which is a band I love. I figured an EP would be a good place to start especially after reading that this EP is a bridge between their more black metal sound to a more avant Prog metal sound.

There is a very high level of progressiveness to this music. There must be at least 3 lead singers here, a nice female voice, and regular male voice and a growly voice, singing in a rather chaotic way throughout, sometimes together, sometimes not. The music has that crazy chaotic feel of SGM, but with a bit more operatic feel and less structure. Just know that you can't expect to settle on any one style for long, because this metal is anything but typical and always changing even from one note to the next on occasion.

The music is difficult to penetrate because of its complexity and denseness. I don't care for the growling vocals on this one, but the Tech Metal aspects are great. The use of violin throughout is a big plus too. It makes me interested in listening to their later work, but as far as this EP is concerned, it is too reminiscent of black metal even with the level of progressive complexity. There are plenty of surprises hidden throughout like the piano lead in the middle of 'In Velvet Coffins' but things change so much that nothing has a chance to develop anywhere. This version of 'Chromatic Chimera' is step in the right direction, but it isn't really metal either as it is a nice piano interlude with some music box aspects towards the end, which just seems like it was tacked on to the end of the album for variety.

I definitely prefer the better development in SGM's music, even though there are some aspects that are similar. This is why I am interested in looking to their future works. The best track is the aforementioned 'In Velvet Coffins', but again, even in the complexities of Avant Prog music, which this does approach, you still need some development and some feeling of direction to appeal to me. Nevertheless, the musicianship is amazing, so this is a strong 3 star EP.