I am a simple person: I see progressive death metal, I want to immediately listen to it. Although “prog death” is an incredibly expansive label for bands who can sound anywhere between Black Crown Initiate to Needless, it’s interesting to see how bands straddle the genre definitions, each giving them their flair to further evolve the sound. In the case of Denominate, they add an atmospheric tendency and instrumental mastery to their prog death, something that comes to life on their newest full-length, Restoration.

Restoration detonates with “The Loathe Process,” a track whose main purpose is to pull the listener into new territory. What’s interesting to note is that this track sounds familiar, as if reassuring us that there’s nothing sinister happening underneath it. It also blitzes by, its melody and syncopation immersing you immediately and preparing you for whatever is to come. One would think nothing of this song – it’s familiar and comfortable, and you know prog death enough to know that there’s nothing new they can throw at you.

Then, “Husk” starts, the atmosphere fully comes alive, and you are no longer in familiar territory. The music drags, slowing down significantly; the vocals are darker, the instrumentation gets rid of its polish, and it suddenly feels like you are staring into the void. It’s clear that Denominate waited until the listener got comfortable before pulling the rug, showcasing that while you may have heard prog death, you clearly haven’t heard how they are able to incorporate atmosphere into it. It also adds a certain weight to the song that, while you are not sure of what it is, it’s emotional and it’s ready to boil over. That atmosphere bleeds into “Of Passing,” a track that I can only describe as “sludge metal-lite”, and my personal favorite of this record. It continues to build on that weight, emphasizing the guitars’ heaviness and the vocals’ guttural nature. Although no one bellows, Denominate comes close to speaking to the void, and when they do, it’s when the clean vocals come in. Unlike the clean vocals in “The Loathe Process,” the ones on both “Husk” and “Of Passing” are sharper and slightly off-kilter, indicating how sinister they are. They clearly don’t belong – one could almost dismiss them entirely, especially on “Of Passing” – but they add gravitas and become indistinguishable from the actual (physical) instrumentation the band uses.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a prog death album without a return to familiar territory. For example, on fifth track “The Cistern,” Denominate sheds the atmosphere and trades it for a clear, melodic throughline that edges on experimentation. It seems to coalesce and combine all the previous elements that the band has been using throughout into this powerful climax of music that makes this album worth its weight in salt. Its main highlight is the guitar work – flourishes of rhythm that stay consistent even as additional instruments come in. You can hear it throughout “The Cistern,” acting as an anchor in what feels like the band taking a step towards experimenting with their soundscapes. Gone is that sinister ambiance we saw in Restoration’s first half; here, we have a band who is using one of their longest songs to build towards whatever the ending result is.

I also wanted to mention that Restoration is a slow burner, but not in the way you think. Although the album is 46 minutes long – which is appropriate for an album like this – every track exceeds past the five-minute track. Because the songs range from six to nine minutes, the album has the potential to drag. This may not be seen as a problem, but the main issue about Restoration’s length is that it requires the listener to pay close attention, and if they don’t, they will miss out on some fantastic melodies that make you headbang in your office.

All in all, Restoration is a strong album whose atmospheric leanings and musical interplay will please anyone who loves their prog death to be more than just the sum of its parts. I am eager to see what else this band has in store for future releases, and I look forward to having another prog death metal band in my musical repertoire. After all, if this is what your third album can do, then the possibilities are endless!

— Hera

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Restoration will be available January 9 on Dusktone. For more information on Denominate, please visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.