Band:	The Neologist
Album:	Coming Full Circle
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	January 2015

01. Same Psychotic Wavelength
02. Winter's End
03. Coming Full Circle
04. Color Of Beauty
05. New Earth
06. The Abstract
07. Words Can Not Describe
08. Losing The Pieces
09. Scarlet Awakening

Welcome to 2015. Enter, grab some records, and start spinning. I'll throw on the aptly named Coming Full Circle from The Neologist. They call themselves simply "melodic metal," though I usually see them described as melodic death metal, with which I wouldn't disagree. Slight melodic metalcore and prog elements creep in some and the result is a highly engaging, streamlined sound. Melody is key, which results in an excellent genre album with some very moving tunes.

The mature songwriting matches the band's mature and realistic attitude toward the current music industry. The Neologist specifically give their music away for free and encourage fans to share elsewhere online. Bassist Devin Walsh is facetiously quoted as saying, "Make sure you get a copy before the free album sells out. The free downloads are limited to the first 999,999 fans, so don't miss out!" (Apparently Bandcamp limits a band's free downloads each month; once that number is reached then a nominal fee is automatically assessed.) The band's modern outlook, as well as this element of humor, emulates itself in a laid-back quality in the music. Some mid-tempo songs are a bit slower than their peers might employ, yet they never drag, as many mid-tempo songs are wont to do. You may find yourself nodding along to the title track, as I did, instead of headbanging or jumping around.

Let's take a moment to discuss the guitar work. Solos are crisp, clear, and impressive (see instrumental track "The Abstract"); leads are dark, even haunting at times; and the rhythm guitar keeps it dense and heavy, while supporting the sumptuous melodies. The atmosphere is not necessarily angry but rather heavy with mood, even sad at times. Aggression is not just there for the sake of the genre, rather for lamentation.

The next chapter will be dedicated to the vocals. Very matter-of-fact clean vocals are too beautiful to describe, so I'll just say they remind me slightly of the mid-range of Fair To Midland's Darroh Sudderth (if that didn't make you prog fans in the audience jump out of your seats and sprint for this album then I don't know what will). Extreme vocals come in all shapes and sizes from low death grunts to more typical melodeath screams and shouts, and are also very well-done. The cleans, however, are one of the true treats of Coming Full Circle.

I must of course mention that Threat Signal's Jon Howard guests on opening track "Same Psychotic Wavelength" and gives a great performance as one would expect. It's nice to add the different textures of other voices, and helps make that an effective opener. Friends are awesome, and true friends help with shit; just don't think that The Neologist needed help. They're holding down the vocal fort quite awesomely, thank you very much.

It's time The Neologist stopped being a lesser-known band in this genre of metal music and start being someone's favorite. This record surely is such an accomplishment. Listen at Bandcamp.