Keene and company return with yet another batch of intergalactic death metal anthems, littered with spoken word, various utilizations of a synthesizer (flute), and an imaginary drum performance that’s going to stump every future member the band will inherit after this release. These beats are just not for mortal man.
On their fourth record, The Faceless deliver the world. Keene is a genius, there’s no denying that. His production ability and songwriting skill are hyperactive, robust, and it’s clear that he’s a very intelligent man, who knows how to weave and interwind numerous elements into a brilliant cohesive whole. With that being said, there seems to be a wide disparity regarding his vocal talent he started to showcase after Planetary Duality. While the camps remain divided, his spoken monotone approach is unique, and identifies the modern sound that is The Faceless. No one else sounds like that. This is ok. There was a time where Carnifex, Chelsea Grin, Animosity, and numerous others (while completely different to the trained ear) all started to mesh together and sound alike. Keene is just focusing on distancing himself from monotony, and it’s actually quite fitting and executed pretty well.
While the investment in churning new members, new singers, new drummers, new blah blahs and coordinating countless tours that always seem to fall apart, it’s strange to think Keene even had time to focus on all this while working on new material. The announcement of a new release from Sumerian only started to showcase itself in October. Perhaps some of the problems of the personnel contributed to the scatterbrain performance of the record. Whatever the situation may be, The Faceless are still a great band that are as consistent on record as the New England Patriots are at playing football. They might not always win, but overall that catalogue and their legacy will stand strong against the test of time.
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