Progressive death metal is now a term which means fuck all considering there are thousands of genres hidden amongst every nook and cranny. Yet Species from Kansas City declare this as their genre. Interesting enough they play a rough mix of djent vs deathcore which happens to be a genre in need of decent guitar playing, in which Species succeed in the task at hand. Guitarists Arson Petrosyan and Trey Henry are reliable in approaching the genre with experience at their jobs, especially in track two ‘Totalitarian’, somewhat representing Veil Of Maya, an influence of the band I’m sure of.
As you progress through the five-tracked EP, you’ll notice some slight buffers in the production quality, where the music isn’t perhaps up to the standards it truly deserves. In which, when reaching this better sound in a future release, I believe Species will find their feet firmly on the ground in the right direction. The EP doesn’t always sound messy, the interlude ‘Sovereign’ is an interesting breather consisting of a robotic voice, which can sometimes become a struggle to understand yet sets an atmosphere to the EP in which the artwork can collide with.
Final track ‘Legion’ is the main track which boasts vocalist Jon Houst’s insane variety. Whereas previous tracks deceive the listener into thinking there isn’t much on the table, this song blows that thought out of the water as Jon’s thrill seeking highs soar to lengths where there are no bounds, the lows become gurgled grunts in which would easily suit a brutal slamming death metal band as well as a deathcore one.
My only criticism on the EP is the production, which for 2013 could definitely be topped. Don’t let that fool you into thinking this will be the last time you’ll encounter Species, there’s definitely a lot more this band have to offer upon their next release, in which I would love to see proved.
For fans of: The Contortionist, Veil Of Maya, and Job For A Cowboy.
Rating: 6.5/10