AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: COGNIZANCE — “SHADOWGRAPH”

The rise of Cognizance has been near-meteoric, thanks to the impact of their 2019 debut album Malignant Dominion and especially their second full-length Upheaval in 2021. We spilled our own fair share of words about both of those here, embracing their storming, head-spinning technicality but also appreciating the nuance revealed within their turbocharged yet precise shredding and blasting, and thus their ability to create songs worth dissecting in addition to experiencing the sheer thrill of being overwhelmed.

And speaking of thrills, it has been thrilling news indeed to see that these UK tech-death maestros will have a third album coming our way in January of the impending New Year. Entitled Phantazein, it’s a concept album picked for release by the band’s new label Willowtip Records, and today we’re thrilled to premiere an official video for a new album track named “Shadowgraph“.

photo by Vollvincent

The band’s founding guitarist Alex Baillie has explained:

“This record is undoubtedly our most creative and individual record yet. The evolution of COGNIZANCE has always been driven by our intrinsic vision and less of what our fans expect the band to deliver based on our previous work”.

As we mentioned, Phantazein is a concept album, described as one that “delves into the intricate interplay between art, obsession, and the profound influence of one’s environment”.

In the case of the song you’re about to hear, it too involves an intricate interplay of experiences, and it does seem to represent an evolution in the songwriting of Cognizance.

 

To be sure, these dudes still play like they have rocket fuel for blood and the meticulousness of brain surgeons, but operating at speeds we want no surgeon to follow. But that’s not the first impression “Shadowgraph” provides. Instead, the song begins atmospherically, as if we’re being ushered into a strange shadow-realm. Even as it builds toward greater fevers, it remains otherworldly.

Musical deliriums bloom, and the vocals roar and rage, but panoramic musical cascades sweep above, both awe-inspiring and distressing in their sounds.

The rhythmic grooves in the song jolt and obliterate, the fretwork diabolically darts, the soloing swirls in glittering splendor, and near the end the song begins to sound like a maelstrom of ruination, yet the song’s wafting and wrenching melodies, which seem simultaneously both chillingly unearthly and very recognizably human, stand out every bit as much.

The video is a great accompaniment to the music — beautifully lit, filmed, and edited to give us a detailed view of how Cognizance do what they do.

COGNIZANCE is:
Henry Pryce – Vocals
Alex Baillie – Guitar/vocals
Apostolis Karydis – Guitar
Chris Binns – Bass
David Diepold – Drums

Phantazein was produced by Alex Baillie and Apostolis Karydis, and it was mixed and mastered by Ronnie Björnström (AEON, BLOOD RED THRONE). Credit for the cover art goes to Dan P Carter (BEHEMOTH, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD).

Willowtip wil release the album on January 26th, on CD, vinyl, and digital formats, which are available for pre-order via the links below.

Also below, we’re including the video for the previously released first single from the album, “The Towering Monument“. Take plenty of deep breaths before you listen to it. Here, the band lean more into the furiously head-spinning side of their music, the side that pops eyes wide open and jolts spines, but it too includes gorgeous soloing and other melodic accents that prove to be captivating.

PRE-ORDER:
Willowtip ► https://bit.ly/phantazein-willowtip
Bandcamp ► https://bit.ly/phantazein-bandcamp

FOLLOW COGNIZANCE:
https://www.facebook.com/cognizanceband
https://www.instagram.com/cognizanceband/