UMUR "Crescendo Dezign" is an EP release by Swedish technical/progressive death metal act Theory in Practice. The EP was released independently in January 2017. Theory in Practice went on a longer hiatus after the release of their third full-length studio album "Colonizing the Sun (2002)", but returned to the scene in 2015 with the "Evolving Transhumanism" single. "Crescendo Dezign" features the same lineup who recorded "Evolving Transhumanism (2015)". The Sjöberg brothers, Peter on guitars and bass (appearing under his pseudonym Peter Lake) and Patrik on drums, and Andreas Lyngmo on vocals.

The "Evolving Transhumanism (2015)" single featured a continuation of the technical/progressive death metal sound of "Colonizing the Sun (2002)", almost to the point where the listener didn´t notice the 13 year gap between the two releases, and "Crescendo Dezign" continues down the same musical path as those two releases. The musicianship is on a very high level, and the tracks feature several jaw-dropping technical parts, loads of tempo- and time signature changes, and also a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere (sometimes enhanced by keyboards), which along with the technical playing creates the right environment for the material on the 5 track, 19:23 minutes long EP to shine. The vocals are predominantly aggressive growling, but there are a few clean vocal parts on the EP too.

"Crescendo Dezign" features a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material on the EP well. Nothing on "Crescendo Dezign" is left to chance. It feels like there is a plan for everything and that it´s a plan Theory in Practice have worked on in detail and are now executing with seamless ease. These guys are seasoned professionals and it´s a joy listening to a release as convincing as "Crescendo Dezign". Fans of technical/progressive death metal with a sci-fi atmosphere are recommended to take a listen. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Evolving Transhumanism" is a single release by Swedish technical/progressive death metal act Theory in Practice. The single was released independently in August 2015. It´s the band´s first release since "Colonizing the Sun" from 2002, as Theory in Practice went on a longer hiatus shortly after the release of that album. The lineup on this release consists of the Sjöberg brothers, Peter on guitars and bass (appearing under his pseudonym Peter Lake) and Patrik on drums, and Andreas Lyngmo on vocals.

Stylistically the two tracks on the 9:08 minutes long single pretty much continue the technical/progressive death metal style of "Colonizing the Sun (2002)". In fact it´s almost eerie how a band can be on hiatus for 13 years, and return sounding almost like they were never gone, but that´s more or less the case here. The technical level of playing is astonishing to say the least, and there are several jaw-dropping moments of technical bliss throughout the release. In the case of Theory in Practice, the technical playing is a means to an end though, so there are no unnecessary technical noodling here. You get plenty of death metal brutality to accompany the furiously fast-paced technical riffs and rhythms. The vocals are an aggressive snarling, which suits the music perfectly instead of a deeper growling vocal style.

"Evolving Transhumanism" features a professional, clear, and powerful sound production, so upon conclusion it´s a great comeback release by Theory in Practice. Fans of their earlier work should definitely pay attention here, and for technical/progressive death metal fans in general this is a worthwhile release too. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.