Terminate Damnation — Becoming the Archetype

Becoming the Archetype's debut, Terminate Damnation, came out on Solid State Records on 30 August 2005. It runs about fifty-four minutes across eleven tracks (54:28). The Atlanta five-piece recorded it at Compound Recordings in Magnolia, Texas, with Zach Hodges producing and engineering. Tue Madsen mixed and mastered it in Denmark. Jason Wisdom sang and played bass. Jon Star, Sean Cunningham and Seth Hecox handled guitars, with Hecox on keys as well. Brent Duckett played drums. Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter guested on Elegy I: Deception. Dan Seagrave painted the cover. The title comes from Mortification's song Terminate Damnation on Scrolls of the Megilloth. It sits on our metal shelf as progressive death metal with a metalcore edge. It scores an 8/10.

What you're hearing

March of the Dead is a short opener at under two minutes. Then Into Oblivion and One Man Parade put the blastbeats, grind and chug riffs next to skillful leads. Jesus Freak Hideout's Sean Lex reviewed it on 29 August 2005 and called the band a metal tour de force that brings back the epic instrumental anthem. He said these guys have got chops. His primary example was Night's Sorrow, a classical guitar instrumental he found so beautifully arranged and performed that he looked for a Phil Keaggy credit in the liner notes. Lex heard a treasure trove of blastbeats, grindcore, death and chug-chug riffage woven with guitars, piano and keys. He also flagged an emotional edge that isn't only rage. Songs like the eleven-minute Elegy and Night's Sorrow carry passionate energy that almost makes you forget you're listening to a brutal hardcore band.

Elegy is the centerpiece. It splits into three movements, I: Deception, II: Lament and III: Triumph, totaling about 11:14, with Clark on the first movement. After the classical quiet of Night's Sorrow, The Epigone returns to the progressive death pace. Beyond Adaptation, No Fall Too Far, Ex Nihilo, the short Denouement and The Trivial Paroxysm close the run. Lex noted the lyrics are relatively few next to the expansive songs, with common themes of failure, forgiveness and judgment. He joked that the band wins an award for vocabulary in song titles, then listed definitions for words like elegy, epigone, ex nihilo, denouement and paroxysm. He also called Seagrave's mural cover awesome, separate from the music itself. Wikipedia lists JFH at 4/5 and Rock Hard at 8.5/10. Lex's mild brake was that a very typical sound style and mix could have hurt a band in a common genre, but their technical prowess and musical skill still leave a strong first release with staying power.

How it was made

Before this record the band had put out The Remnant in 2004. For the Solid State debut they went to Magnolia, Texas, and Hodges. Jon Star also engineered on the sessions. Troy Glessner helped with drum recording. Mixing and mastering landed with Madsen at Antfarm in Denmark. Lex called that oddly appropriate, because the Danish and Nordic metal influence is clear even though the band is from Georgia. Seagrave's mural cover is the same painter commissioned for many metal albums. Jeff Gros shot photography. Jonathan Dunn and Clark handled A&R. Aaron Mlasko tech'd the drums. The lineup on the sleeve is the same five who carried the Solid State debut into the touring years that followed. In 2011 Broken Circles pressed a limited vinyl run of 500. The follow-up was The Physics of Fire in 2007.

Where the score lands

It gets an eight because the debut chops are real and the critics who scored it clearly heard the same thing. Rock Hard's 8.5/10 and JFH's 4/5 line up with Lex's praise for Night's Sorrow and the Elegy opus. So why not a nine? Lex's point stands that the sound and mix sit in a typical lane for the genre, and that is a fair brake on a first Solid State outing. Why not a seven? The classical-guitar quiet of Night's Sorrow, the eleven-minute Elegy with Clark, Madsen's Danish mix and Seagrave's cover mark a band that arrived with more ambition than a standard chug record. Eight is the right floor and ceiling for this debut, and the right score for a first Solid State statement that still rewards a full listen.

Watch

The Epigone leads. Behind it are Into Oblivion, One Man Parade and Ex Nihilo from the same album.

Where this album sits on Loud Faith

Christian progressive death metal out of Atlanta in 2005 was a Solid State statement, not a side project. Terminate Damnation put Becoming the Archetype on the metal shelf with an eleven-minute elegy, a classical-guitar instrumental and a Seagrave cover, then pointed straight at The Physics of Fire. The Epigone leads the videos, with Into Oblivion, One Man Parade and Ex Nihilo right behind it.