Written by Kep
Resuscitate – Immortality Complex
> Progressive metal
> Illinois, US
> Released May 3
> Independent/self-release
You may have some memory of me writing a month-end roundup entry on a one-person slam project called Orbital Gate last year. I said things like “the whole thing feels like a big goofy party” and praised mastermind Evan Van Dyne for their ability to be to tongue-in-cheek and have a good time without sacrificing musical quality. Another Orbital Gate album dropped earlier this year and delivered more of the same: big dumb techy slam that brings as many laughs as it does stank faces.
So why am I talking about Orbital Gate here? Because Resuscitate is another impressive one-person project from Evan Van Dyne—but on Immortality Complex, the project’s third LP, Resuscitate showcases a wholly different side of their musical identity. I’m blown away by the overall quality of both projects, but this one really caught me off guard with its level of polish and colorful emotion.
Resuscitate is a progressive metal project with shades of Periphery, Between the Buried and Me, The Faceless, TesseracT, and the like in its influences. But let’s get right out ahead of this: it doesn’t sound like a clone of any of those bands. And don’t worry, I’m not gonna say the dj-word (although I probably should, to be honest). Immortality Complex is carried by strong songwriting: more focused than BtBaM, for example, not indulging in much carnival wackiness and not getting too wrapped up in overdevelopment of its musical themes. Sure, there’s weird shit and silliness here and there—“The Great Filter” is almost jazz metal, if there were such a thing, for a chunk of its runtime, complete with horns, old-timey vocal harmonies, and a swing that won’t quit—and little playful passages that would make bands like Cyborg Octopus proud, but they’re not forced in, and Van Dyne’s transitions in and out of those sections feel natural.
Despite stellar vocals and a host of well-written melodies—more on that shortly—this is decidedly riff-centric music, with wide-ranging licks that manage to be everything from funky to mysterious to joyful to wickedly violent to downright brutal. The runtime is full to bursting with the sort of guitar work that gets your head bobbing immediately, as hooky and infectious as anything your modern faves in the space have written. The guitar (and bass to some degree, which features some tasty round tone and plenty of its own nifty licks) is chameleon-like, shifting styles and ideas seamlessly; here vivid lyrical tones, there chunky metalcore riffage, a little smooth jazz noodling, destructive brutal chugs, etc. The guitars are supported by a very good drum performance from Van Dyne and some particularly terrific orchestral arrangements, courtesy of guests DJ Martel and Jake Farhang, that bring a wealth of color and life to already well-written songs. And those songs cover a lot of ground, too, particularly 19-minute closer “Reclamation”. There’s highly syncopated stuttering metalcore groove, dark breakdown-like walls of sound, subdued bits of rhythmic singing a la The Ocean’s recent work, Dream Theater-esque fret acrobatics over frantically shifting meters, blast beats and tremolos and merciless double bass-led violence, an extended sequence of orchestral meditation, and a massive crushing stretch that tosses in a play on panic chords.
Front and center in these five songs are the outstanding dual vocal performances from Van Dyne and guest Josh McKenney, who contributes the particularly emotive cleans. I want to be very clear, since I think the idea of a one-person project sometimes will give folks lowered expectations: top to bottom, the vocal work on this record is stellar. There are shades of Daniel Tompkins and a bit of Spencer Sotello to be found in McKenney’s voice, even some moments where I hear the influence of Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree(who are surely an influence on Resuscitate’s riffs as well). The melodies are tuneful and memorable across the board, especially on tracks with chorus-like passages like “Radiating the Disease”. The cleans are set off further by Van Dyne’s versatile harshes, which range from deep gutturals all the way up to high scream-singing. When you’ve got an album featuring sounds as diverse and well-rounded as this one, you want vocals that match that, and Immortality Complex delivers that.
I’ve found Immortality Complex to be an extremely pleasant, inviting listen that begs additional plays. The songwriting is excellent, the melodies warm and fresh, and the playing top-notch. Standout moments like the title track’s delightful extended solo and emotive melody that follows remind me of some of my favorites—Periphery in this particular case—without feeling like rip-offs (the strident passage later on that gets a bit Dream Theater-y is another good example). And that’s without even considering the thoughtful lyrics; this is a concept album, examining humanity’s greed for power and money leading to its downfall. A small taste, from “Radiating the Disease”: “‘What could go wrong?’ / That’s rhetorical, it’s obvious / We’ll bomb a nation / And move on with our day”.
THE BOTTOM LINE
I expected to like Immortality Complex, but I can’t say I saw it becoming one of my favorites of the year so far. And yet that’s what it is, and I hope it will be the same for others. Evan Van Dyne’s Resuscitate has delivered one of the best progressive metal releases of the year, hands down.