MIDHEAVEN

When I reviewed THE HUMAN ABSTRACT's first album, I said that the band certainly could play but that the record was very uneven, very decent till song 8, and quite mediocre after it. It seems lack of balance is a feature inherent to the band's DNA.

"Midheaven" has some advantages over its predecessor. Mostly, the band has found some use for their abilities. Whereas in "Nocturne" many instrumental sections just appeared to have been included there for showing-off purposes, everything seems to have a reason now. The crazy guitar scales and drum fills fit the music and sound like they belong here. The band thus sounds a little bit less self-indulgent as a result, which is a good thing in extreme metal. Excesses may sound good in other genres, but in metal extreme metal sometimes they sound like cheap ways of getting attention (the music already is loud, please.)

Some of the weaknesses that this album still has are the lack of balance and the use of "screamo" vocals. Screamo vocals detract from the overall metal picture and make the music sound adolescent and less serious than it is. On another hand, the album, again, starts to lose focus after about halfway through. Curiously, exactly when metal seems to recede in favor or emo/harcore music.

The best song, and the catchiest, is probably "Breathing Life into Devices" It actually makes the vocals seem like a fine addition to the album. And the band displays their abilities without getting in the way of the music.

Again, a 3-star effort that could've been better. I hope next time THE HUMAN ABSTRACT gets it totally right. Anyway, the band is a good alternative in light extreme metal.