Release Date May 1st, 2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Progressive/Death Metal
Origin UK
Leeds natives Cognizance return with "In Light, No Shape", dropping after their 2024 full-length "Phantazein". Over a decade into their career, armed with four albums and various shorter releases, they face their most significant lineup shift. The departure of original vocalist Henry Pryce in 2023 forced a massive change. Instead of hunting down a new frontman, founding guitarist Alex Baillie stepped up to the microphone, scaling the band down to a four-piece. Apostolis Karydis remains on second guitar, backed by Chris Binns on bass and David Diepold on drums.
"In Light, No Shape" delivers total progressive death metal firepower. The mix takes a raw, natural approach, turning away from sterile modern production values. Ronnie Björnström operated the mastering desk, ensuring an organic frequency spectrum. The audio captures authentic amplifier saturation. Guitars contort into strange time signatures, relentlessly driving forward through shifting rhythmic drops. The entire album attacks with precision and pure metallic force.
Taking over vocal duties, Alex Baillie roars with absolute aggression, matching the intensity of his own fretboard work. Apostolis Karydis layers intricate lead structures over the foundation. Underneath the guitar assault, Chris Binns lays down thick bass lines, locking perfectly with David Diepold’s drumming. Diepold annihilates the kit, blasting through odd meters and delivering massive double-kick artillery. The four members operate as a unified machine, executing demanding technical passages continuously.
Tracks like "Transient Fixations" and "A Game Of Proliferation" throw intense riffs straight into your skull. The music balances extreme velocity with crushing mid-tempo sections. The arrangements prioritize headbanging momentum over mindless shredding. You get ripping solos and bizarre chord progressions, assembled into lethal metal anthems. "Witness Marks" and "Subterranean Incantation" dish out brutal syncopation. The guitars intertwine violently over the frantic percussion, creating sinister harmonic layers.
"In Light, No Shape" succeeds entirely as a vicious auditory assault. The raw production approach pays off, giving the technical riffing a massive, destructive edge. The quartet scaled down their lineup and doubled down on aggression. They crafted premium extreme music, packing enough technical wizardry to satisfy total metal nerds and enough primitive grooves to instigate absolute pit violence. This release demands high volume.
Score: 8.0
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