Review by JD on September 19, 2010.

Polish Progressive metallists Votum have handed the world a new opus that is oddly called "Metafiction". I have not heard of them yet, aside from friends that are more into the Progressive Rock and Metal end of things (I love Prog - a guilty pleasure, but my heart is heavier). With that... shall we jump in?

At first listen, you might not agree with the whole metal tag for the band, but take it from me - it is metal, and so much more as well. With a wall of shifting complexity that is accented by a purity of heaviness underlying a shifting musical landscape that is bleak, yet full of life as well, this album shows that this is a thinking person’s band.

The music is this sort of odd mixing of Rush gone sort of metal, Opeth and some doomish stylizing of Pink Floyd. It is that odd incorporating of shifting feels that combines artistry, camouflaged power all into a group of musicians that seriously love metal but wanted to do way more with it than others have done before them. This is what the band was going for and they really did deliver the goods.

Are Votum over-the-top eclectic? - yes, are Votum rather strange? - yes, are they still metal despite it all? - Fuck, yes! They may not be everybody’s favourite when all is said and done but they are a band that has talent to spare while still trying to keep true to their metallic roots. I think one day, if they keep this particular line-up, will find that wonderful bridging between metal and Progressive that has eluded many acts before them. This is a good album, yet it is not a great one yet... but I still enjoy it. More please!!!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:8.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 9
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Carl on April 24, 2020.

I've mentioned it before and I'm going to again: in this whole old school thrash revival thing you really have to search to sort the worthy bands from the mere pretenders. Most of the stuff in this genre is as boring as intently watching paint dry. It's for a big part kids reliving times they didn't experience the first time around. Good for them, not so interesting for me personally, because, let's face it, very few of these nowadays thrashers will be able to release something like a new "Darkness Descends", "Forbidden Evil" or "Ignorance" anytime soon. And neither will Released Anger, but I found them to be more enjoyable than a band like Havok, to name one.

This is because the music sounds really familiar and that's in great part due to the vocals, it's like listening to a young version of Kreator's Mille. What also plays in their advantage is that their music is faster than most of the stuff I hear these days. I'd describe it as a cross of Kreator's period between "Terrible Certainty" and "Coma of Souls" albums with Vio-lence's first two records. I even heard some dashes of Annihilator and Anthrax in the music as well. The band is at its best when they go full throttle, and it is clear that this band consists of amazing musicians who deliver an excellent performance. I find myself grinning inanely, tapping my feet and nodding along approvingly listening to them speed through their compositions. However, in the fifth track, 'Inner Enemies', the band slow it down a notch and, for me, that wasn't necessary. It's a longer, groovier track and starts to bore me pretty quickly. And there is more that rubs me the wrong way. The album's dry sounding production knocks the balls out of the proceedings a tad. It's just too clean and could have used more grit to it, now it makes the drums sound pretty flat and that's a screaming shame because their drummer is an absolute beast behind the kit. On the upside, they conclude the proceedings with a not so obvious cover of Dutch death/thrash legends Thanatos and they absolutely nail it!

The band is at its best when they're going 666 miles per hour, simple as that. I also appreciate the familiar sound they have; it brings back memories of the faster thrashers of the late 80's and early 90's like (a lot of) Kreator, Vio-lence and Dutch speed dealers like Dead Head and the aforementioned Thanatos. If they would've gone for a more organic production and had dropped the fifth track this would've had me all up in a bundle. Still, this stuff kicks way more ass than what 95 % of the present-day thrash bands (and a lot of the reunited ones!) churn out nowadays.

Rating: 7 out of 10