So, here we have the debut album, Disclosed Dioptric Principles of the French Progressive Death Metal band Slave One. This isn't your everyday DM album, although the number of bands trying new things within the genres acceptable boundaries has increased, you still don't find many albums of this kind.
First of all, the cover art. Its a beautiful piece, the mythological / stellar crossover art perfectly reflects what the album is about. It has a metaphysical /mythological aspect with a scientific approach, often intertwined, not the first one but an interesting one at that.
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IMqdi7wXKZg/V8v_-uiWz4I/AAAAAAAADmE/ovzql3MJbUkr3vHQfNpAW8AQxtlNJU0ZwCEw/s320/slave%2Bone.jpg)
Now, the intro, "Deus Otiosus". The vocals give you just the idea of the mythological theme of the song, this one being Brahma. Deus Otiosus literally means, the absent god, or Brahma, in the Hindu mythology. Some might find the vocals a little unnerving, but that serves as a pretty good intro to the album, you'll know which direction the album will be following. The song features particularly interesting, we'll co-ordinated instrumentation.
The next couple of tracks are "The Antikythera Mechanism" and "Obsidian Protocol Achievement", respectively. They're every bit progressive, there's catchy yet unique drum work going on behind the layers of guitar, you can hear him commanding the cymbals. The riffs serve as a build-up to the relatively slower melodic passages, which follow every verse, accompanied by lead guitar fills that add an eerie nature to "The Antikythera Mechanism". The other song has a rather anticipated and emotional section close to the 3:10 mark, which rightly leaves the listener for some more feel worthy music. These tracks very well conform to the direction the album is following.
The next song is "For Shiva Whispered The Universe". Its worth noting, that the band has a particular interest in, not only Indian, but any mythology which shows the interaction of sentient beings with the world they live in, which is often so alike. This song has very desolate, esoteric chants which engulf the listener and it feels as if it's the invoking of the Gods themselves. It kinda has a cheeky semblance to "संहार रक्त काली" from Cult of Fire's 2013 record "मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान". This song presents very indulging guitar fills, accompanying the chants.
The fifth song off the album is "Aeon Dissonance". Some of the most interesting bass work of the album, tried by many bands, which leads to abrupt chaotic riffs, this band seems to have countered that relatively better than the others, the transition is smooth, so honestly they're just not being progressive for the sake of it. There's a certain amount of musicianship to it. The main riff, on the other hand, inspite of not being too complex, sounds good.
The sixth and possibly the best song off of the album, is "Liquid Transcedental Echoes". So Much prog. Probably the proggiest (yes I used that word) of them all. Its nearly 11 and a half minutes long, and one wouldn't find a single minute boring. This song has pretty much all the desirable elements of the album, sums up the whole thing pretty well, the musical direction, the instrumental prowess of the band and what not. Could've been a possible conclusion track for the album (which i'll come to later, further down the read). There's alluring guitar riffs, layered vocals, and melodies which send you right down the feel lane. The chants close to the 6:10 - 6:20 mark are quite an addition. You hear the sitar in the background, almost holds you captive, for the sitar being a grand instrument of its own right. The guitars then kick in at just the right time, tailed by ghastly whispers, chants and the multiple instruments used, give a whole new dimension to the track. At 9:40 when you think the song's over, they hit you with another appealing section of music.
The final, conclusive track of the album is "Degenesis". A wide spectrum of instruments has been put to effect, layering one over the other. You don't hear these instruments used in DM everyday. The vocal patch is something I failed to understand, would've been easier if I knew how to speak French, but that's nothing to worry about, se détendre. This track could've served the purpose of connecting two parts of the album, and some would've opted for a different track to finish the album, but Its not a bad choice of a track anyway.
You can definitely sense the effort the band has put into the production. Each of the instruments is clearly audible, not being overshadowed by any other. The vocals have been consistent throughout the album, using multi layers and other nifty little things was a nice touch. Now, the reason why this abum might put off some listeners is that some might not enjoy the palm muted guitars. That's not everyone's cup of tea. There's a certain risk factor involved when bands use uncommon instruments, some might not understand the appeal, while some might not enjoy it at all. On the other hand, tech death fans will flock to this album, would listen to it on repeat, and that's for sure. Most of the casual listeners will enjoy this, the cult fans (unironically speaking) might stay put with the album. But, at the end of the day, this album is definitely worth a spin.
Rating: 4.2/5 - Review by Piyush Ojha - Edited by Navneet Sandhu - Sept 04, 2016