Acrimony EP 'False Vacuum' Review

Insanely percussive and Djent is what defines the Bhopal based 4 piece Djent/Experimental/Progressive Metal band ACRIMONY. Finally False Vacuum is out. If you don’t know the story by now, Acrimony are part of the newest wave of everything trendy called 'djent' with Progressive influences and finally giving us tinge of Indian Classical Style. According to the band, Progressive Metal best defines our approach towards our creations, but then there is the genre stretch we give to it, to include elements of ample other sub-genres of metal. With material of almost 30 min, we have 5 tracks on this EP which I personally feel is nothing short of a full fledged Album. 

Tracklist:

1. Showdown

2. Recede To Death

3. Smash 'em Good

4. Can't Sleep

5. Deceased

You have to understand that Acrimony use polyrhythmic/metric, syncopated grooves and extremely dense melodic structure, using synth and stratospheric vocals. This is basically what 'djent' is, but you cant ignore the way the composition is heavily progressive. Every band does it differently and Acrimony belong to a different zone. This is what you expect when the members of the band share a common belief in "innovate what's in hand & invent what's not", so they kept digging & persevering until they could create something absolutely original and convincing enough.

EP starts off with Showdown which is a perfect way to begin the assault. It sets the tone for most of the other songs. I love how ambient and layered this band is. Bass solo towards the end and how song picks from towards the outro is simply phenomenal. Guitar playing by Samar Mehdi is spot on. Second track Recede To Death is the longest track of the EP and one of the best tracks by the band. Amazing keys in the beginning set the tone and you cant ignore the fact, the way band is technically proficient. Simply awesome.

One the similar note we have other three tracks with chugging rhythm and haunting clean riffs make their songs shine. Production takes the band to completely different level. From my first listen I was amazed by the production of this album. With the band having so many layers in their music, a bad production job could have ruined the album. Luckily the sound comes off the way music is meant to sound: pure and raw. The way band mixes their influences right from clean vocals to growls and riff's and drums just leave an impression that these guys are surely a band who can give a run for the money compared to other bands in the same zone.

I loved the way growls and clean vocals are amalgamized. Mind you Deceased is a perfect closer. The entire EP may be one of the best pieces of progressive djent music ever recorded by any Indian band. The transitions are insane, and the bass just pounds through your speakers. The slap bass is also prominent in this track, highlighting the grooves during 'softer' sections. Vocal duo Gaurav and Dhairya roast their lungs out on this and at the same time give us chills with high pitched variations. Its Samar who shines out among the rest with killer riff's and bone chilling synth work.

Acrimony is loaded with musicians who are all very technically talented, progressively influenced and proficient at playing their instruments. Gaurav who co founded the band with Arjun Singh Jarial (departed recently due to personal reasons has his talents featured on showdown, smash 'em good and can't sleep) and now carries on with Samar, Dhairya and Yash who are extremely talented musicians who hit every note of each song with calculated accuracy. It's exceptional!! If your a fan of the insane riff's, amazing vocals, and progressive flashes of genius than "False Vacuum" is for you! I love it.

Recommended To All Djent/Progressive Metal Fans 

RATING: 9/10


Reviewed by: Owais Nabi