By: Deek

Posted: Jan 29, 2006

I thought it'd never happen. But for 2005, it has. Two albums have been released that I consider practically flawless, perfect masterpieces. The first one was Gojira's "From Mars To Sirius", a brilliant death/thrash concept masterpiece that still tops this fourth album from these British metallers. "Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone" is a brilliant mix of brutal death, black and melodic death that leaves the listener drained yet in awe. Sound and speed variations throughout the album keep the listener at attention, even if the vocals are a bit of a turn off (the death vocals are too deep and the black metal screams are to blended into each other a bit too much for my taste). Either way, when all 47 minutes of the album are up, this end up being one of the strongest and best death metal albums of 2005.

Musically, the band went further into the direction they were heading with their last great album, "Chronozon". The opener 'Verdelect' goes from thrasher to melodic back to thrasher throughout, with the pace keeping you listening. It prepares you for the death metal bombardment you are about to endure. 'Seduced' has amazing guitar work and haunting lyrics. In just four minutes the sound varies so much. The mix of the different melodies is amazing. And the final minute of the song is godly. This one is one of my faves on the album and probably the best example of what these guys are capable of. The epic of the album, 'Shelter From The Sand', is a brilliant soundscape, molding brutality, melody, and all three vocal styles into a progressive death metal mix. 'Eyes Of The Dawn' go back into straight-forward midpaced death metal mode with a simple but intense intro. 'Abadonna, Dying In The Sun' gives a nice yet haunting break to the album, a short and soft interlude to hasten the assault. The title song (the first of two "softer" songs) goes right back into what they do best. Opening with a somewhat Middle-Eastern sound, it flows right into a midpaced death metal great. 'Intractable' (aka W.T.G.U.D.T.G.U part 2) opens with an amazingly beautiful and melodic sound. The clean vocals and melodic music meshing perfectly that pour right into an unforgiving heavy ending. It is these two songs that elements and direction of "Chronozon" definitely appear and are at full effect. After this, the album sort of tapers off a little, with the last three songs not really living up to what the rest of the album would lead you to believe. That doesn't mean that 'Seraphs And Silence', 'The Penance' and 'Lex Talionis' are bad songs. Quite the contrary, they are really good songs in this style of metal. The lyrics set an eerie feel, mixing with the music well giving the album a feel of awe.

This ends up being one of 2005's best death metal albums, hands down. I didn't really know the band's past before "Chronozon" before this, but I love this direction they are heading in. If their next one is more of the same direction that they have gone, my guess is that it will be one of the best death metal releases in a while. "Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone" is a masterpiece, a must have for fans of real metal.

"Open your eyes, do you recognize me?"

Rating: 9½/10

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