Swallowed By Apathy- EP

Swallowed By Apathy is a two piece progressive metal band from Ohio. The band formed in 2010 and have since released this EP. It is clear when listening that the band draws influence from many different sections of the metal genre and that they have worked hard at creating a sound that doesn't grow dull after a few listens. They fall in the right place when it comes to progressive music, it is interesting enough to keep the listener guessing but it never comes across as too self indulgent. Many bands can't successfully find that middle ground and with that being said it makes for a truly excellent release.

The guitar playing on this release is solid. The riffs fit together in a very coherent manner and for such young musicians they show great potential in terms of writing ability. Many moments featured here are graced with some epic shredding and it never seems out of place in the slightest. The bulk of the riffs are extremely infectious and linger through your head awhile after listening. The cleanly played sections are executed with great precision, these sections of the album never sound tacked on in an attempt to "sound progressive". The moments fit perfectly with what Swallowed By Apathy is setting out to do. The bass also plays a decent sized role in the overall sound. It adds a great deal of depth to the bands already big sound.

The vocals are the EP consist of a wide variety of styles. One major flaw in many extreme bands is the lack of vocal diversity, luckily Swallowed By Apathy isn't afraid to go out of the typical boundaries and switch off styles quite often. The only minor gripe I have about the vocal performance involves the cleans. They aren't bad by any means, they are actually quite good, but they are lacking some power. A more powerful delivery would give the clean moments that extra push into greatness. Another thing that might catch the attention of the listener is the opening vocals on the track "Neurophobia" which have a stunning resemblance of the death metal legend Chuck Schuldiner.

Overall Swallowed By Apathy have started off on solid ground. This is a very good release and leaves just enough impact to stick with the listener afterwards. Apparently the band is already recording a full-length so be sure to lookout for that in the near future. Fans of mid-era Death may find this to be right up their alley. Anyone in to metal in general that can handle a little heaviness should give this EP a shot.