Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite

The Kings of Mile High Melodic Metal

Allegaeon (pronounced uh-lee-juhn) have brought the pain on their newest release, Elements of The Infinite. The melodic metal band, hailing from Denver, have put out face-melting songs since they formed in 2008 and they don’t appear to be letting up any time soon. Comprised of Ryan Gilsan and Greg Burgess on guitars, Brandon Park on drums and Ezra Haynes on vocals, Allegaeon quickly rose from local stewards to national metal heroes since their debut album, Fragments of Form and Function. Gaining both critical and fan acclaim, the band seem poised to take on the world with this great release.

Allegaeon set the tone with the first track, “Threshold of Perception.” Classical guitars and choirs fade in, making for a dramatic opening track. Within a few moments the musicians create a dark and brutal world. At over six minutes, the song lays down the foundation for what the rest of Elements is going to become. An epic metal opus, each song on this album never goes under the four minute mark, and Allegaeon don’t let up on the power.

It’s almost comical how good “Tyrants of Terrestial Exodus” is. Both Gilsan and Burgess put in the work here. It’s almost like they’re riff robots, sent to planet Earth to deliver us ferocious guitar sounds. They’re unstoppable here. All the while, Park hammers on as fast as humanly possible but still keeps the time in tact.

“Dyson Sphere” seems to be pulled straight from The Haunted’s handbook. Catchy but fast riffs alongside a tough growly vocal work perfectly in tandem. It’s hard to make the songs “catchy,” but these guys do a great job of keeping it all together while still making it heavy, a feat not pulled off by their contemporaries nearly as well.

Overall, one can make the argument that this could be the best death metal album of the year. Elements lives up to the hype and delivers on so many fronts. Everything from the production to the songwriting is hitting on all cylinders. We should all take a knee and give credit to the kings of Colorado.