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Slaves Of Virgo
"It may have taken four years for vocal contortionist Adam Glynn to return to metal after resigning from Melbourne, Australia, outfit Frankenbok, but what a return it was. Teaming with Extra Virgin guitarist Mark Holain and bassist Cameron Macdonald, along with Tension drummer Marc Whitworth, Glynn found the perfect medium to cater to his newfound creative output and the foursome released Five Star Prison Cell's debut, "The Complete First Season," in 2005.
Described as having the technical precision of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Fantomas with a frontman possessing the incredible range of Mike Patton, Five Star Prison Cell’s brand of technical metal was a complete success, and many heralded the band as being completely different from their expectations. Now, after a couple of unintentional setbacks (release dates for October 2006, then February 2007 were announced), the quartet has delivered sophomore effort "Slaves Of Virgo."
After some initial sound manipulation courtesy of famed producer/engineer/mixer D.W. Norton, "Do The World A Favour" gets things under way, and it soon becomes clear that Five Star Prison Cell has no intention of taking the soft route. Intense, heavy and chaotic in every sense, "Do The World A Favour" takes every facet of the band’s style to an entirely new extreme and sets the overall tone of the album.
"Deloris" and "Pinholes" are full of relentlessly building tempos and riffs where Glynn’s off-kilter melodies and mix of Patton-influenced vocals and death growls provide the only catchy elements among the ongoing barrage of noise. The musical backdrops in "Obtuse: The Essence Of Indifference," "Decree NISI" and "Army Of The Vigilant" adequately show the progression the musicians have made in the last two years—especially in "Army Of The Vigilant," where the moody atmospherics at times lean heavily on a strong Meshuggah influence.
After a short breather around the halfway mark with the instrumental "Asleep In The House Of Fables," the band hit back stronger and faster with the mind-bogglingly complex and impenetrable "M" and title track before vocalist Rebekah Chapman (who partners with Glynn in the experimental Coitus Bund) helps color the stunning "The Rise And Fall Of Red Sparrows." Like the previous track, "The Harridan Marathon," it takes a completely different path than the rest of the album with its slower, doom-like feel.
On "Slaves Of Virgo," Five Star Prison Cell doesn't merely knock the listener over the head—it bludgeons endlessly until there’s nothing left of its intended victim’s human form. The only thing this album is missing is a health warning to those unaware of just what to expect." - Blistering.com