Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Becoming the Archetype - I Am (2012)
Respect and support is what many bands need to stay active. Becoming the Archetype deserve that for their impressive melodeath albums that also cover progressive metalcore, creating a unique original style. Each album shows a different step in their evolution, with none of them sounding exactly the same. 2012's I Am continues that evolution, this time taking on more of a standard death metal/core sound, becoming an odd one out in the BTA discography. The band can still be well-prepared despite the changes in sound and lineup. Founding members Jason Wisdom and Brent Duckett were replaced by bassist Codey Watkins, vocalist Chris McCane, and drummer Chris Heaton. The two members still standing were guitarists/clean vocalists Daniel Gailey and Seth Hecox. It's almost like a whole different band...
Although the music doesn't have the epicness of their previous albums, the lyrics still do. They form a concept album in which each track tells a tale from the perspective of a different character. I have to admit, this is a similar aspect to that Pixar miniseries on Disney+, Win or Lose, and after those first 9 tracks with the title based on the character portrayed, the final 10th one is the climax where all the characters are involved. You'll hear more detail of those songs as I go through them one by one. And by the way, the wicked cover art fits well with the idea of identity.
The story begins with "The Ocean Walker". They still have a bit of the prog-ish atmosphere from Celestial Completion. And as with the other songs, the music stands by the conceptual theme. "The Time Bender" is one of the best tracks in this powerful Christian death metal/core album. Instrumentally it sounds like a more deathly Nevermore. The instrumentation is so simple yet brutal. "The Eyes of the Storm" storms through with fantastic riffs and breakdowns.
"The Sky Bearer" has more melancholic atmosphere. The one track I strongly dislike from this band and album is "The Machine Killer". While I love most of the instrumentals from their past album, this one is just dull and disappointing. It seems like they haven't dropped their mellow electronica sound from their remix EP Celestial Progression, which is so poor that I skipped reviewing release. And just like that release, that interlude is easily skippable. If they removed it, the album would've had the perfect mid-2000s glory. "The War Ender" is a vicious track, though it has a slight issue with its abrupt ending. "The Weapon Breaker" is a naturally heavy highlight.
"The Planet Maker" throws back to a bit of Dichotomy, letting you flow in ambient space then dragging you back to Earth with its ground-breaking riffing and catapulting you into the stars with dreamy cleans and ethereal soloing. "The Sun Eater" is another one of the best songs here. The most of the brutality comes in throughout the last minute. The final title track is the aforementioned climatic end of the journey, with all of the previous tracks' characters gathering together with a war chant of "I AM THAT I AM!!!"
All in all, Becoming the Archetype can still prove what they are despite a drastically different lineup. There's more energy and rage to feed the machine. There isn't much experimentation of progressiveness, just a strong blend of crushing riffing, technical soloing, and brutal breakdowns, to further tear down the walls between standard death metal and deathcore. That and the interesting lyrics should delight fans new and old. I Am is one of the heaviest and most complex albums the band has made without going progressive. Sadly, they would go on hiatus after this release, though they would return a decade later with a new album and the comeback of those two OG members....
Favorites: "The Time Bender", "The Eyes of the Storm", "The Weapon Breaker", "The Sun Eater", "I Am"