Imicus - Animal Factory

I’ve been wrestling with this review for nearly 2 weeks now. The issue I have is, just how do I describe Imicus? You see it’s fairly easy to pigeonhole a band’s sound and compare them to various peers but in the case of Imicus what we have is a release of maturity and confidence that belies what you would normally expect from a debut.

Strong song writing, a muscular sound with faultless vocals, add to that a spankingly good production and what you have is Imicus. With a style that has elements of Katatonia, Ghost Brigade & Tool, Imicus have drawn on their varying influences to produce a synergy of sound. This is a band brimming with confidence, tracks are given time to breathe and evolve, the result being an emotional and often stirring album. Take ‘The Butterfly Effect’, from the 2 minute point the track descends into soundscape territory, a single repeated riff that builds and lifts until a perfectly fitting solo lands in your ears. Lead track ‘Visceral’, similarly demonstrates how the band can shift dynamics within a song to stunning effect. All in all, this is intelligent, forward thinking music; it is not a quick candy fix with disposable melodies but an album that grows with every listen.

So, should you like your metal with plenty of meat on the bone then I would strongly recommend you give them some of your time. The album is currently gaining a buzz on the pre-order chart with HMV and with such a firm foundation in a quality debut release, Imicus are another exciting act in the Transcend stable and a promising prospect for the future of UK metal.

Tracklisting