By Jonathan Smith
Fragmentary Evidence is the second effort from Montreal’s Augury, and it’s a fairly ambitious one at that. From the opening explosion sound effect, the band launch into a slew of technical death metal tracks with a definite black metal influence. Deep growled vocals that rise into high-pitched shrieks accompany some precision guitar playing, but things rarely stay in one particular groove for long. An example of what to expect is “Simian Cattle,” which changes tempo numerous times and hits listeners with a wall of sound that can quickly dissipate, leaving an almost jazzy guitar solo that will hang in the air before being enveloped by the rest of the instruments. Antoine Baril’s drums keep everything in line and ensure that the whole project doesn’t fall apart. Augury’s mixture of metal influences, images, and approaches is by no means a truly unique sound, but it is a hybrid one that deserves to be heard. With their being located in Canada, such opportunities are sure to be had soon enough.
(Goodfellow[Canada] /Nuclear Blast [rest of world])
