Becoming The Archetype – Celestial Completion

Whenever I throw in Christian metalcore group Becoming The Archetype’s fourth studio album, Celestial Completion, I could swear I’m sitting at a pew in a Gregorian monastery during the dark ages.  Opening track “The Resonant Frequency Of Flesh” plays out like a hymnal choir chant spoken by the ominous judgment of the Spanish inquisition.  It’s effectively striking, and a great pull for those typically hesitant to tune into metalcore like myself.  Their versatility doesn’t end there though, with Celestial Completion unfolding around highly variable and unpredictable compositions ambitiously spanning innumerable genres.

It’s almost overwhelming how much variety unfolds from here on out, yet just how well the quartet synthesizes these elements.  When “The Magnetic Sky” crunches in with a heralding display of sludgy chords, the band harmonizes for an Egyptianized chant ushering in the end of the world like a sinister prophesy.  Lyrically the album presents dark, brooding imagery around topics of faith and damnation.  Jason Wisdom restrains his throaty growl, burying it in the chorus as if climbing from deep within earthly depths, briefly taking the spotlight as he trades off in a sparing match with another ripchord contributor.  “Internal Illumination” continues much of the vocal onslaught, combining as much guttural rage as typifies entire metalcore and death metal labels.  Blackness towers over all hope for the duration of the track – had the rest of the album followed suit I would have soon lost interest.  Thankfully, after this point the band really heats up.

“Path Of The Beam” marks the first bright, hopeful moment, throwing in a clean chorus of vocals that counterbalance the dark chugging riffs bleeding in from the previous apocalyptic trip.  The inclusion of a technically pronounced solo energizes and propels such sentiment, accenting the solely instrumental piano piece “Path Of The Beam.”  Beautiful is the best descriptor when it comes to the lone keystrokes, bringing to mind folk metal acts like Scythia.  Similar magnificence repeats itself during the later half of “Elemental Wrath: Requiem Aternam Pt. 2.”  For that matter, the “Requiem” trilogy comes off particularly grand, the first includes a robotic vocal tint, and the third part even integrates a grand styled operaic soprano, all in the context of their busy metal agenda.  In terms of variety, the three-part requiem succinctly covers everything worth noting, proudly displaying Becoming The Archetype’s genre blurring experimentalism.

The more I revisit Celestial Completion, the more I appreciate how the Atlanta, Georgia quartet ignores conventional boundaries, throwing caution to the wind.  I’m truly shocked that even with so much going on throughout the disc that nothing ever sounds muddled or overwhelming.  The group feels comfortable in their skin, and four albums into their career it’s obvious that Becoming The Archetype is on to something big.  Celestial Completion is still metalcore at its heart, so it’s unlikely to break down any walls (if growling turns you off, you won’t change your mind here), but for fans of metalcore, hardcore, sludge, black metal, and that whole inter-related web, Becoming The Archetype has crafted a crown jewel.