Band:	Divinity
Album:	The Singularity
Style:	Progressive death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	December 2009

01. Abiogenesis
02. Beg To Consume
03. Lay In The Bed You've Made
04. Emergent
05. Transformation
06. Monsters Are Real
07. Embrace The Uncertain
08. Formless Dimension
09. Approaching The Singularity

One thing that should be understood about Calgary - we love our technicality in metal, the sheer amount of progressive influenced metal being made in this city is some good evidence of this. So what makes Divinity stand out above the others? Why were they given the big record deal with Nuclear Blast some years ago, instead of so many other regional acts? A theory I've been playing with after hearing this album is that they are to Calgary what Black Sabbath were to Birmingham. Not to compare Divinity to the highly revered Black Sabbath quality wise, but rather they are the best representative of the culture here - or lack thereof. I guess you could say Divinity are a pure product of their environment.

So how does Divinity reflect Calgary? Well, let's face it - this town has no culture, it's all about big business and the oil industry; there is little to no attention paid to the arts. Divinity's music works the same way; it's cold, calculated, precise technical thrash metal fuelled by pure aggression with a touch of desperation brought on by the vocals. The best way to describe the music is just to picture a more violent Gojira, throw in a small dose of metalcore, remove the hippie mumbo-jumbo lyrics, and expect next to no tranquil moments within the 45 minute play time.

Compared to their debut, Allegory, vast improvements have been made. The first (and most notable), being the break-neck time changes have been smoothed out; while they are still present, the music doesn't bring your brain to a screeching halt like it previously did. The vocals really do a great job of being part of the music rather than layered over top, they really help tie many of these sections together, giving the whole thing a bit more feeling of solidity.

The complaints, few as they are, go along with pretty much any music of this kind. As previously mentioned The Singularity rarely lets down, so unless you're ready for an unrelenting 45 minute assault, this can get tiring. Also, as with any uber-technical metal, taking 45 minutes of ever-shifting time signatures can be a wee bit uncomfortable (for lack of a better word). It's the sonic equivalent of accidentally putting your undies on backwards - you've all done it, and you all know the feeling, don't lie.

This is a great album for fans of this genre above anything else; if bands like Gojira and Meshuggah don't do it for you, this album will probably be no exception. However, if you enjoy displays of technical prowess with nice pockets of groove thrown in, I highly recommend this.