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Unexpect - In A Flesh Aquarium review




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Reviewer:
9.2

255 users:
8.57
Band: Unexpect
Album: In A Flesh Aquarium
Release date: August 2006


01. Chromatic Chimera
02. Feasting Fools
03. Desert Urbania
04. Summoning Scenes
05. Silence_011010701
06. Megalomaniac Trees
07. The Shiver
    1 - A Clown's Mindtrap
    2 - Meet Me At The Carrousel
    3 - Another Dissonant Chord
08. Psychic Jugglers (In A Flesh Aquarium)

Montreal has one of the most bizarre Metal scenes on the face of the planet, and a band like Unexpect is there to prove my point. Those Canadians are blowing away every musical concept known to mankind with their second album In a Flesh Aquarium. From thrash to gothic, gypsy folk, brutal death, jazz death and more, they make Arcturus sound like Manowar. Extreme avant-garde Metal seems to be the key word.

The 7-piece from Montreal features no less than three singers, the two guitar players (Syriak and Artagoth) and a charming woman named Leïlindel. The main force of Unexpect is that they sound like they recorded three different bands playing at the same time; the first one would be playing fast-paced Thrash/Death metal, the second one would be a female-fronted Gothic combo while the third one would be the majestic gypsy folk orchestra from Hades. The result is hard to take-in, but incredibly it works all in harmony. Listen to the opening track "Chromatic Chimera" and see how much the name of the band was cleverly coined.

Some songs are truly wrenched from the loins of Satan himself, toying with your mind and always edging on insanity. Freak melodies coexisting alongside mad circus vocals, this could easily be the soundtrack to your nightmares. And it is delightful! The vocals alone are worth giving those guys a chance. Imagine Mike Patton and Floor Jansen singing for Dimmu Borgir playing on LSD, and that will picture what this album is all about. Ah and don't forget to add a violin in the mix. Those guys are absolutely astounding.

In a few words, this is not only new, it is revolutionary music. Not for the faint of heart, this album targets musical pilgrims with insane psyche. So far, In a Flesh Aquarium is the surprise of the year for me. Get your hands on it. I am proud to live in such a deranged city! Great job Unexpect.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 10
Originality: 10
Production: 8





Written on 20.12.2006 by Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:

"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"

I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math.


Comments

Comments: 18   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 266 users
20.12.2006 - 18:02
Talvi

Lol!! That review makes me believe these guys are INSANE!. Guess I'll have to check them out...
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My account on other musical pages:
http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/
http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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20.12.2006 - 18:26
pleasure.seeker

Interesing! Thanks for review.
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My last.fm
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20.12.2006 - 19:43
Rating: 9
Black_Handed
A village idiot
Written by Talvi on 20.12.2006 at 18:02

Lol!! That review makes me believe these guys are INSANE!. Guess I'll have to check them out...


yes...these guys and girl ARE INSANE and thats the beauty about it.

this album fulfilled all my hopes i had from previous albums. they took the best of their previous albums, added new twists and released an incredible thing. its powerful, crazy, extremely well structured, well played, atmospheric (mockery! is the key word. hell something so rare in metal). this album just blows you away. one of the best albums released this year. guaranteed to get my vote in metalstorms annual rating, if theres going to be any.
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Cryptic Bleak Smurf of Ur
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20.12.2006 - 23:24
Rating: 8
Promonex
Cathemeral
Surprised by uneXpect? How can one be surprised if one expects the unexpected anyway? :

Btw, wasn't Chromatic Chimera the piano-only closing track of their previous EP?
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All life begins with Nu and ends with Nu... This is the truth! This is my belief! ...At least for now.
- The Mystery of Life, Vol. 841 Ch. 26
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20.12.2006 - 23:57
Rating: 9
Black_Handed
A village idiot
Written by Promonex on 20.12.2006 at 23:24

Surprised by uneXpect? How can one be surprised if one expects the unexpected anyway? :

Btw, wasn't Chromatic Chimera the piano-only closing track of their previous EP?


yes good point but here its totally different song
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Cryptic Bleak Smurf of Ur
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21.12.2006 - 06:47
WarriorOfMetal

Written by Black_Handed on 20.12.2006 at 23:57

Written by Promonex on 20.12.2006 at 23:24

Surprised by uneXpect? How can one be surprised if one expects the unexpected anyway? :

Btw, wasn't Chromatic Chimera the piano-only closing track of their previous EP?


yes good point but here its totally different song

"totally different" isn't the way i'd describe it....they basically took the piano version on _We, Invaders and made it into a more fully fleshed-out metal version and then expanded it from there.
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21.12.2006 - 23:18
annodomini

absolutely the best album that i have heard ever...believe its true its fucking amazing ...
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the riddle wants to be...
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24.12.2006 - 03:07
Talvi

Lol, now I'm hearing them... INSANE it's the best definition of their music.
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My account on other musical pages:
http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/
http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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25.12.2006 - 16:06
GRIGAL
Account deleted
I discovered Unexpect quite recently. I think my first reaction was: "What-the-hell-is-that??!!" Totally crazy stuff but also beautifully 'creative'. "In A Flesh.." is an album I wholeheardtedly recommend.
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13.03.2007 - 17:34
Rating: 10
Twilight
IntepridTraveler
Wow! These guys are really insane. Listening to their album right now.

I already love them. I love a lot of weird chaotic music like this, thanks Metalstorm and Demonic Tutor!
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11.04.2008 - 07:45
Rating: 10
WillL

reminds me of jazz fusion. and metal and fusion being my 2 favroite genres. no way i wont like this. amazng.
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Music is my Religion
Jesus is my God
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24.04.2008 - 05:46
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
the most interesting band I ever heard after Diablo Swing Orchestra!
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09.07.2008 - 03:03
Rating: 9
Evican
Ann O'War
I love this band and this album. The chaos is brilliant, much like my mind at the moment so I've been listening to this non stop for quite some time.

Also, I much prefer Leïlindel as vocalist over Elda. Listening to Utopia and IAFA, I definitely think Leïlindel's voice is much better suited to the band and is better than Elda.
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01.09.2008 - 14:38
Stalker
Lone wanderer
"they make Arcturus sound like Manowar"?? Wow. Ok, you've got my attention!!
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03.09.2008 - 01:13
Stalker
Lone wanderer
I got it. LOL< i played "psychic jugglers" to my friend, and she said it sounds like a "black metal cartoon" More of a Death Metal cartoon IMO, but i like it in kinda, anyway...
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16.09.2008 - 16:16
Rating: 9
Paradox0
Unasuming Madnes
Been playing this album ALOT as of late. This is definetly the craziest thing since Bungle, and in some aspects surpasses them. My only complaint is the production. Due to the low production, sometimes things get a bit cacophonous with everything going on. I hope they get more popular just so they release a higher produced version of the album, then it would be perfect. 9.9/10
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06.12.2008 - 01:43
Rating: 10
MétalNoir
Fils du Lys
So fucking weird, you can't handle such stuff at all from the first listening, and that's what is so awesome about Unexpect... I spent my last well-earned twenty dollars left in my student pocket just to buy that album after downloading (mean me) Desert Urbania. As I played it in my car on the way back home, I was like: OMG why the hell did I spend my last cents on that shit? But after three listens, I'm starting to untangle the thousand sounds thrown at my poor heardrums and I don't regret my choice at all! Psychic Jugglers and Summoning Scenes are my favourite at the moment.
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Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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19.04.2009 - 21:44
Creative Mind
Account deleted
Haha. This is just amazing! I love this album, it's bizarre, it's wierd, it's insane, and it's brilliant! They are playing with Dream Theater in Mike Portnoys "Progressive Nation 09" this year, and they are coming to EUROPE too! I'm SO going to see them.
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