Format: LP
Release Date: March 25 2011
Out in Australia through Firestarter Music & Distribtion
 
TRACKS
 
4. Chasing Shadows
5. Beautiful Abyss
6. Silence
7. Invert Evolution
8. Astral Plane
9. No Road Home (Solastalgia)
 
 
 
 
All songs written and performed by Chaos Divine
All music and lyrics © Chaos Divine 2011
All lyrics by David Anderton
 
Produced by Chaos Divine
 
All songs engineered and recorded by Simon Mitchell at Underground Studios, Perth
Assistant engineering by Troy Nababan
      
Keyboards and sampling by Ryan Felton
 
Mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden
Additional post-production by James Hewgill
 
Art, illustration and design by Ryan Felton
 
Line-up:
David Anderton: Vocals
Ryan Felton: Guitars
Michael Kruit: Bass
Ben Mazzarol: Drums
Simon Mitchell: Guitars

 
 
 
 

Space Ship News

And so it was, immerging out of the local quagmire, a new hope should arise – carrying with it the future of Australian metal – and lo, it was called ‘The Human Connection’ by CHAOS DIVINE. A majestic journey through a vast emotional soundscape, these Perthtopians have truly lived up to their name on this, their second full-length. As vocalist David Anderton croons on ‘Beautiful Abyss’ – “Don’t wait at the water’s edge / It’s time to step into the unknown blue.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

A frankly stunning evolutionary leap, ‘The Human Connection’ is a strange beast in that it is certainly catchy, and delivers on the hooks, but takes some time to reveal the full extent of its excellence. Songs such as ‘One Door’ and ‘The Beaten Path’ are immediate highlights that seem to open up even further the more you listen to them with the dual vocal styling’s of Anderton wonderfully complimenting the twin guitar attack of Simon Mitchell and Ryan Felton. The song-writing is of a particularly high calibre, displaying a level of maturity reached by few others in their field. Hell, Dream Theater could learn a thing or two about economy from these guys. Every note, every drum fill, every vocal line serves to improve the song, rather than simply catering to the musicians’ egos. The polyrhythmic elements of the music are employed to great effect, executed with impressive dexterity and seemingly with ease. Perhaps more importantly though, these aspects are not overdone and are not overly technical for the sake of showing off.

Anderton proves himself the bearer of an impressive set of pipes. His soaring clean vocals reminiscent at times of Karnivool’s Ian Kenny (perhaps there is a local scene forming – Perthenburg anyone?). His growls, while not the most guttural you’ll hear, are certainly more than adequate, managing to convey a real emotional depth not found in lesser bands. His lyrics are heartfelt and sincere and for those interested in that sort of thing it definitely provides some food for thought. Although one or two moments border on cheesiness, the utter sincerity of the delivery manages to save the day.

This is anything but a one-man show however, Anderton is backed by some of the best Perth has to offer, with the aforementioned guitarists playing their hearts out over the absolutely rock solid rhythm section, consisting of bassist Michael Kruit and drummer Ben Mazzarol. Much of the music present takes you back to a mid to latter-period Tool, which is a compliment in anyone’s book – although it eschews the foreboding atmosphere of that band’s work in favour of a far more positive, even hopeful outlook. Each and every track has something to offer, with nary a dud to be found. Nevertheless, special mention must go to album closer ‘No Road Home (Solastalgia)’, a towering 12-minute epic that embodies everything great about this album. After a somewhat subdued intro, the song explodes into a spectacular display of masterful prog-riffery that just gets better as it goes on, with yet another jaw-dropping vocal performance from Anderton – this surely must be a contender for the best metal album to come out of Perth, period.

Kudos must also go to the band for their sterling self-production. This is a fantastic-sounding record, with every instrument given the space it needs, and with no one band member dominating proceedings. Much has been made of Swedish metal guru Jens Bogren’s (Opeth, Amon Amarth) involvement with the album, in a mixing and mastering capacity, and he has also done a fine job (and what a coup for the band!) – but let it be known that a bunch of young lads from Perth have pulled off a far better production job than some of the biggest bands in the world have seen in recent years (Metallica and Rick Rubin, I’m looking at you). ‘The Human Connection’ sits comfortably alongside anything released in its genre this year, at the very least – this is world class material and I would not be surprised to see a major label come knocking at Chaos Divine HQ on the back of this album. And so, the future looks bright for Australian metal with Chaos Divine leading the charge. Miss this one at your own peril.

 
Rating: Complete
 
There's a fairly major turnaround in sound here, and it's a change for the better. Perth quintet Chaos Divine's debut of 2008, Avalon, was quite a brutal affair: it was pretty much straight-up, in-your-face metal with some progressive elements, boasting mostly dirty vocals. The band have turned the corner with their new release, and are putting themselves in an excellent position to increase their fanbase by doing so.
 
In losing some of their heavy edge, however, the quality of their songwriting hasn't dropped one iota. In fact, they've actually stepped up a notch in this department. The increase in clean vocal melody and dynamics in their sound has in turn increased the memorable nature of their tunes. There are only occasional blasts of heavy on the new album, which consequently tend to make more of an impact when they do occur, as opposed to when they're coming at you constantly and full-throttle.
 
One Door sets the tone beautifully for the rest of the album to follow, and feels as thought it'd be highly accessible for those people not already fans of the band - showing possible single potential if they cut it down from its six minutes-plus length. Chasing Shadows is also extremely easy on the ear, while still retaining an epic quality, a strong degree of progressiveness and touches of heaviosity in tasteful measure.
 
And speaking of epic, the twelve minutes plus No Road Home (Solastalgia) closes The Human Connection off magnificently, with its moody intro, off-kilter but catchy riffing and groove. An early contender for song of the year, this one, which is a tough call as this record is chock-full of tasty selection.
 
This is yet another fine example of just how far Australian heavy music has come in the last decade. The Human Connection is a monumental effort, and if it doesn't garner them some serious national and international attention, there's little justice in the universe. Powerful, progressive, interesting and accessible all at once, The Human Connection is a must have for fans of the genre.
 
Best track: No Road Home (Solastalgia)
If You Like These, You'll Like This: Ghost Reveries OPETH; Night is the New Day KATATONIA; I am the Revolution VOYAGER
In a word: Complete
Label: Firestarter
 
 

Perth’s Chaos Divine – one of Australia’s best progressive metal exports since Vanishing Point – are back with their sophomore release, The Human Connection.
 
Their 2008 debut album, Avalon, saw the band on the receiving end of much critical acclaim, culminating in numerous awards, including being voted one of the top ten international metal albums of the year by triple j listeners. The band then went on a successful string of dates touring both locally and abroad with the Big Day Out and ProgPower Europe festivals.
 
The Human Connection is one of the most eagerly anticipated Australian metal releases of the year and it doesn’t take the listener long to realise why. Our answer to Opeth immediately engage the audience within the first few opening bars of One Door, a pulsating and emotional underlying riff provides the foundation for what is a song worthy of inclusion on an album from any of the world’s best progressive metal bands. That being said, Chaos Divine offer a darker edge than many prog-metallers before them opting for a partnership of clean vocals and growls, like many latter year melodic death metal bands.
 
The abilities of guitarists Simon Mitchell and *Ryan Felton,*as well as the vocal talents of David Anderton, are aided at the control desk by Sweden’s Jens Bogren who has produced for Symphony X, Katatonia and Opeth. The band draw the listener in with some entrancing time changes laid by the tight rhythm section of drummer Ben Mazarol and bassist Michael Kruit. The band often delves into hypnotic breaks and unlike many progressive metal albums, this is one that you can listen to from start to end without once reaching for the forward button.
 
Chasing Shadows and Silence combine accessible melody and song-writing with musical craftsmanship to a tee whilst the heavier Inert Evolution is similar to Scar Symmetry. This is no doubt a band that has drawn heavily from both the melodic progressive stylings of Dream Theatre and Fates Warning and the Gothenburg-sound of In Flames and Dark Tranquility.
 
No Road Home (Solastalgia) is an ode to Australian Professor Glenn Albrecht, who in 2003 coined the neologism solastalgia, in reference to the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment. The track itself clocks in at 12:15 which is always a risk for a band of any calibre, however Chaos Divine provide enough by way of engaging key changes, melodies and breaks that keep the listener glued to their speakers for the entire track.
 
It’s hard to find anything all that negative to say about the band’s second offering and if there’s any justice, touring in support of this album should see them get picked up by a major label in the very near future. The band are expected to play shows around the country soon so head out and support local metal as Chaos Divine have again demonstrated that we can mix it with the best that our overseas counterparts have to offer.
 
 
Rating: 8/10
 
A different kind of progressive melodic death metal
 
Usually when one thinks of progressive/ melodic death metal, names like Opeth, Neuraxis, and even Ana Kefr come to mind. However, one could also consider Chaos Divine one of the many skilled and talented greats in such of the genre, despite their tendency to do things a bit differently with their musical formula, especially when it comes to their latest album, 'The Human Connection'. Rather then rely on the death metal vocals dominating most of the verses and the clean vocals performing either on the slow, soft songs or the choruses/ interludes of the heavier tracks, Chaos Divine invert the roles, giving almost complete lead to the clean vocals which sound pretty good (like a cross between Tomi J. of Amorphis and Chris A. of Scar Symmetry, along with the growling styles too). Musically, the entire listen of 'The Human Connection' is very fun, jumping all over the place with great guitar riffs and breakdowns, both simple and technical, while mixing in some great drumming and even keyboards.
 
The album opens with "One Door”, which is a pretty tame track with how the guitars are melodically structured to keep playing their soft, repetitive notes while the clean vocals emphasize the power. Halfway through things pick up as the death vocals make their first appearance in their fearsome nature with some heavier riffs and then things settle out a bit as the clean ones come back in but the music still has some thunder to it rather than going completely soft. Overall, though, the style is highly melodic death metal with some great progressive elements in how instead of just unanimous riffs over and over, they jump all over the place. Other tracks like "Beaten Path" are a bit more of the typical melodic death metal style- starting out with catchy, rapid chugs and then dropping to a steady pace that tends to carry on through most of the song, save for the guitar solo which just tears everything apart, followed by an interlude of harsh vocals for a brief moment. As powerful as they are, the clean vocal style clearly steals the show (especially on "Beautiful Abyss”, one of the softer tracks on the album that is also highly progressive with the mix of spacey sounding guitars and keyboards). However, that isn't to say that the death metal styled vocals don't have their moments. "Invert Evolution" lives up to its name as the harsh vocals dominate most of the verses, and even though it sounds like a generic progressive death metal track, it is a surprise for listeners on this album so far.
 
The epic "No Road Home” tends to stretch itself out a bit. Like the first track, it builds up soft and slow before picking up pace. They keyboards are more evident throughout the first half, but later things fall more to melodic death metal territory with how the guitars quickly jump from note to note while trying not to be too technical and miss out on all the beauty. While there are no death metal vocals involved, the power behind the guitars and the clean vocals is more than enough to keep the music varied, especially when considering the wild solo at the end. One could almost consider this track an honourable tribute to a band like Dream Theater. As a result, though, it makes it the highlight of the album, and tops anything done from the band's previous release, 'Avalon’. In fact, all of 'The Human Connection' trumps 'Avalon’, because it builds on the strengths of the former album without any flaws and tries to do things a little differently without trying to sound too much like any other bands out there.
 
 
Rating: 8.5/10
 
With Chaos Divine taking influence from both the extreme and ambient end of the progressive metal scale, the Western Australian quintet’s sophomore release The Human Connection is a staggeringly large and powerful album. Although overzealous members of the press have been quick to compare the five-piece to fellow Perth based act Karnivool; outside of the two group’s obvious progressive leanings, Chaos Divine’s usage of extreme vocals makes them a much heavier and metal influenced entity.
 
Opening tune "One Door" is fantastic number, and pretty much sums up the band’s sound, with delicately restrained verses giving way to crushing choruses and progressive bridges, while "At the Ringing of the Siren" uses the same formula to achieve the same winning result. Vocalist David Anderton is certainly the star of the record, with his clean vocal work just as powerful and essential as his death metal bellows and roars. The furious "Invert Evolution" shows off the heavier side of the band, but they never get too brutal or blatantly death metal, with the songs usage of clean singing and vocal melodies just as important as the double kick drum work and the dissonant guitar riffs.
 
At an hour long, The Human Connection is a lengthy album, especially with the growing modern trend in metal bands to release half an hour long records, but it’s a huge compliment to the band that the sixty minutes fly by before you notice it. Epic closing number "No Road Home (Solastalgia)" is a perfect way to wrap up the release, with the spacious keyboard and clean guitar intro slowly unravelling to reveal a full on prog attack, with odd-timed riffs and off the wall drum rhythms. A heavy bridge section emerges from the fray, before the song and album closes with an Opeth-styled guitar solo section, and then an ambient wall of white noise.
 
While they’ll (probably) never debut at number on the American Billboard charts, Chaos Divine deserve see a huge step up in the national and global progressive music scene on the back of The Human Connection. Combining both soaring vocals and lush soundscapes with deafening drum work and crushing guitars, the group’s second full length is a gem of an album, and will hopefully get the group into the higher echelons of the prog metal hierarchy, on both an Australian and international scale. 
 
 
 
Chaos Divine’s new album, The Human Connection, is a more mature take on their previous music library. Gone are the raw edges, the rough vocal style, and the brutal blasts of chaos; instead, they are replaced with smooth precision. Whether that is a good or a bad thing remains to be seen.
 
Chaos Divine is a five piece technical heavy metal group that formed up in 2005. Coming out of Perth, Western Australia, their first recording effort - 2006’s EP Ratio - turned heads in the local metal community. Their next album, 2008’s Avalon, won quite a few state music awards, and was indeed a package of brutal beats and powerful polyrhythms (and an album I myself was extremely impressed with). The influences of one band in particular, Sweden’s revolutionaries Meshuggah, was quite prevalent in the album.
 
However, with The Human Connection, much of this raw brutality and technicality are gone. Possibly this is just a maturing of sound. More likely it has something to do with the mixing and mastering of the new record, in Sweden’s legendary Fascination Street Studios under the meister Jens Borgen (Soilwork, Opeth, Katatonia, Hammerfall, Eluveitie). While this studio is most certainly fantastic in terms of sound production, and the skills of Jens are without a doubt at the top of a field, he has a very distinctive touch. As such, this album sounds awfully like Soilwork – to the point where whenever a song from The Human Connection starts playing through my speakers, there’s always a few seconds hesitation as to whether I’m hearing Chaos Divine or a song from Stabbing the Drama, The Great Divide or The Panic Broadcast.
 
Now, there are two ways of looking at this. I myself am quite a fan of Soilwork, and so it’s not a ridiculously bad thing that Chaos Divine have progressed so far along the path of Soilwork’s sound. The smoothness of production, the emphasis on rich melodies, the softer touch to the album – these aren’t necessarily bad things. Indeed, there is still a fair bit about the album which is unique to Chaos Divine; there are still technical touches in the guitars and drums unheard in any Soilwork song, there is still originality in the songwriting; it’s not like the band have gone for a blatant copy of an established method (I think).
 
However, much of what attracted me to Avalon is, indeed, completely missing on The Human Connection. The hoarse, shouting style of singing has been almost completely replaced by clean-style singing. The power and brutality of the album, so evident on songs like ‘Contortion,' ‘Our Delusion’ and ‘Cages’ is missing, replaced by much heavier song-wide melodic structures. The guitar’s chugging, staccato style has been tuned out in the mix, replaced by ‘catchier’ sections and hooks, and the drums are far less distinctive. I can’t help wonder if in ‘evolving’ their sound in this way, Chaos Divine have perhaps destroyed the core elements of what made the band so popular within the underground metal communities; uncompromised power and ground-level authenticity.
 
Having said all this, there is certainly some good work still on the album. The standout song for me was ‘The Beaten Path,' a song with some genuine emotion-stirring ability and an epic chorus, and the longer track ‘No Road Home’ is quite memorable also. Still, in regards to this album, my advice is different to the norm: if you are a fan of more mainstream metal bands like Soilwork and In Flames, your odds of liking this album are increased – but fans of Chaos Divine and Avalon should definitely check out the MySpace before purchasing.