Deformity

Looking back at "Neon Rebels," it makes some sense that Illidiance would try and run with that appeal to see where it ends up taking them. Deformity is nothing more than an extended play that sadly represents the closest thing we currently have to a full-length post-Damage Theory. Although fans of early Shade Empire and the like will get a lot of running time out of said record, Deformity is a slightly different beast, and this doesn't necessarily work in its favor all of the time either. For one, the electronic elements are a modicum toned down, underscoring guitars that have shifted even more away from the typical industrial/groove template, coming dangerously close the dreaded mixing pot of influences known dejectedly as modern metal. The band continues to shed their original black metal skin in favor of that cybernetic wrapping that works so well for their current permutation, but I can definitely find some faults with this one.

So mainstream song structures are again emphasized, and through this the band comes somewhat close to an amalgamation of Fear Factory and The Kovenant once the clean vocals are factored into the synthetic equation. Shkurin's vocals continue to impress, and this is perhaps Illidiance's biggest single improvement going forward. I was convinced that Christian Älvestam contributed cleans on "Neon Rebels," but I went out of my way to contact the band and they cleared the air regarding my queries. It was actually Shkurin, and his chops are just as endearing here on Deformity. It also means he is oftentimes unduly accentuated and left out in the Russian cold, like on the rather flippant and unnecessary pseudo-balled "Moments of the Fall." This sucks for me the most, as Damage Theory pulled similar fare off so fucking well on "I Want to Believe." Obviously, the biggest difference between the two is the severe dearth of synths on the former, and this simply accentuates the fact that the band cannot survive without them.

"Boiling Point" is clearly the individual standout here given all of the above, and it brings us back what made everything work so well on the last full-length. More of this would have made Deformity a worthy standalone contender, but an unbalanced procession and lack of overt strengths sort of make this one easy to pass up on the whole. Part of that reasoning is the fact that both "Neon Rebels" and the 2014 single "Shockwave" both stand head and shoulders above just about anything else the band has done. The latter also refreshingly proves that they found their sound again, bringing back the electronica full force. I'm not saying Illidiance necessarily falls short as a purely metal act, but they do everything else so well it is easy to just forget about it and enjoy the fireworks. Check out "Boiling Point" and the title track, which is pretty decent as well. Two winners out of five brings Illidiance's batting average down somewhat, but hopefully they can put out another full-length in the near future and consistently return to what works.