Review by Adam M on January 4, 2018.

Allegaeon put a good deal of groove into their songs. There is melody to the band, but certainly a crunchy side as well that makes them varied. I think they sounded fresher at around the time I heard Formshifter, but there is still a very distinctive aura to these tracks. It’s like melodic death metal was given a shot in the arm to craft something even greater and more interesting.

The band is certainly talented and shows their skill on the numerous superb guitar riffs to be found here. The musicianship here is flashy, but not overindulgent by any stretch of the imagination. It makes for a very creative and vital sounding musical performance. The musicianship can be broken down. The guitars have harmony and come together to craft interesting riffs. The vocalist sounds inspired, but nothing special by any stretch of the imagination. Drumming provides the solid backbone for the tracks. One only needs to listen to the first track Proponent for Sentience I – The Conception for an example of the guitars converging towards an interesting purpose. The band still would have the capability of being more original than they are on these songs. It seems they are comfortable with their usual fix of melodic death metal and don’t reach out to craft something more thoughtful. This is the biggest flaw to be found here and only brings the proceedings down slightly.

These songs are still full of life and very enjoyable. The band brims with energy at every pore and it shows through in the songs. This is still not the best of the band and I believe they were onto something more original when Formshifter came out. Those that are fans of melodic death metal with a neat edge to it should find Proponent for Sentience right up their alley, however.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10