Few bands have ever mastered the sacred art of progressive death metal. It's hard to take two different genres that are so different and make something that doesn't suck. Opeth and Atheist are probably the most well known bands for mastering this divine act; speaking of divine, Opeth and Atheist aren't alone. Hailing from Germany, Divine X have combined the fury and attitude of death metal along with the heart and soul of progressive metal. With the release of The Other Side, Divine X have proven they are in the same field of Opeth and Atheist. "Cryptic Signs" is a great way to start things off. "Cryptic Signs" is not only filled with great riffing and top-notch solos, but the vocal work is perfect. Singer Stefan displays some great metal chops as he sways back and forth from clean vocals to deafening growls, both of which fit the song perfectly. Drummer Felix also shakes it up with his quick triple hits on the bass; overall an excellent way to kick things off.
"Eyes" stands at the longest song on the album, lasting about eight minutes. After opening with a slight, grooving riff, Divine X breaks down into a pure death assault of rage and mayhem. After four minutes of pure destruction, "Eyes" goes into a very mellow proggy break, which glides in at the perfect moment. Filled with more great riffs and leads, "Eyes" is complex, calm, beautiful and devastating, everything a prog or death fan could ask for.
As soon as "X" begins, it just calms the soul. I honestly can't explain how incredible this song is. "X" is a three minute instrumental interlude that is filled with amazing musicianship. The guitar is utterly amazing and depressing, the drums fit in perfectly, but the solo really makes this song special. This song just isn't a nice proggy break, "X" is by far one of the best instrumentals I have ever heard. Yes, it's that good!
As soon as "X" finishes, the riffing of "The Other Side" begins with mid-paced guitar work and those deafening growls. Filled with great death riffing, solid drumming, godly prog breaks, fantastic leads and those hellish vocals, "The Other Side" is a great way to end this masterpiece. Divine X is probably the best unsigned band I have heard in a long time. Nothing at all is wrong with this demo. Nothing. Progressive death metal is so risky because there are so many ways you can screw it up and make it suck, but Divine X has forged the ultimate mix of the two, creating a demo that is nothing less then perfect. The metal gods must be smiling down at these soon to be glorious warriors.
Tracklisting:
1. Cryptic Signs
2. Eyes
3. X
4. The Other Side