Warthur uneXpect's In a Flesh Aquarium is even harder to review than the most avant-garde works of Mr Bungle and Frank Zappa (the two primary influences on their music that I can detect). As with Henry Cow's In Praise of Learning, the band's dedication to experimentalism above all other considerations has resulted in an album which is highly inaccessible - and whilst some listeners may find the effort to penetrates its mysteries to be a rewarding one, others may feel that it's too much effort for too little benefit. In short, this is one of those albums where you really shouldn't pay attention to any reviews: track down some samples and listen to them, you'll know if you want to explore further.

bartosso "Demon of the Opera: or, Surreal Rollercoaster: or, Mercy! My head is on the edge of overheating!"

This is an intense piece of avant-garde metal. I mean INTENSE. Unexpect's third full length record is an unrelenting beast, spawned by Ascendance Records. On its musical way it has devoured such genres as klezmer music, symphonic black metal, opera, electronic, jazz, classical chamber music and some other tasty styles that stood on its way. Oh my... It seems it's about to devour... YOU!

Such a dense and complicated record requires a crystal clean production. So, if you're looking for a fuzzy sounding and discordant avant-garde, you won't find it here. FotSE is a perfectly produced album with an impeccable sound. Every instrument (vocals, violin, guitars, 9-string bass... wait, what?!) has its space in the mix and thereby is easily distinguishable in the wave of sounds this crazy bunch bombards us with.

A book could be written about the music played by Unexpect. I must admit that on the first listen I was completely overwhelmed by its diversity and intensity. While the album may seem a bit inconsistent at first, its strange coherence becomes apparent with time. Unexpect are unbelievably talented songwriters and skilled musicians. Their mix of dark cabaret ambiance, modern electronic spices, chamber orchestrations, extreme metal impetuosity and progressive virtuosity, seems to be performed without effort. While sometimes I get an impression of thematic overload, the fact that it's a well-flowing album is undeniable. Most of all though, I think there's something that makes this intricate music surprisingly accessible. It's either beautiful vocal lines by the frontwoman Leilindel or Unexpect's great talent for thrilling passages. Well, both of them I guess.

Extraordinary. Intense, intriguing, technical and... brilliant. List of adjectives goes on and on. With this almost perfect creation, Unexpect has proven that virtuosity doesn't have to deprive the music of soul. That should be an important lesson for some leading prog metal bands. I can't help but admire these people, admire them for creating this exacting, surreal and emotion-provoking journey. I'm happy I've set out on it.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 10/10[masterpiece!!!]: Words; Mechanical Phoenix; In the Mind of the Last Whale || 9/10[fantastic!]: Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted Guest; Orange Vigilantes; The Quantum Symphony; When the Joyful Dead are Dancing; Unfed Pendulum; Until Yet a Few More Deaths do us Part || 8/10[great]: Silence this Parasite; A Fading Stance ||

Conor Fynes 'Utopia' - uneXpect (7/10)

Nowadays, uneXpect (or Unexpect) are the darlings of avant-garde metal. Their latest album has met incredible reception, and their second work 'In A Flesh Aquarium' is considered a modern classic. As some of the most chaotic and innovative musicians I have ever heard, uneXpect have already set their legacy in stone, and may be considered to be one of the most talented acts going on today. 'Utopia' is the band's all-but-forgotten debut. Much in the way maudlin of the Well's 'My Fruit... Psychobells' is overlooked in favour of its stronger successors, 'Utopia' appears to be unknown, even to many of the band's fans. Obscure as it is, 'Utopia' delivers the band's signature style in a rawer, less defined form. As one might expect, 'Utopia' does not hold a candle to the two albums that would follow, but the band's potential and talent is evident.

When describing uneXpect's style, many terms come to mind. This Canadian act draws sounds from death metal, black metal, gypsy folk, circus music, and makes for an absolute mind-boggle of a listen. This sense of insanity is what largely defines uneXpect's work, and makes it special. 'Utopia' shows uneXpect playing in a less chaotic gear, although there is plenty of forward thinking. The music is a crossroads between black, death, and symphonic metal, with growls, Cradle of Filth-esque rasps, and female clean vocals all making themselves heard, sometimes in unison. The music is technical and weird, but both of those elements are not quite as bombastic as they are in later uneXpect material. The production is functional, but admittedly does not do the busy sound a fair justice.

The band's musicianship is very good, although the highly ambitious nature of uneXpect's music seems to be slightly out of grasp in regards to their recording abilities. On future albums, every element of this band's makeup would be improved upon, but that does not rob 'Utopia' of being a strong listen in its own regard. There is plenty of the weird and wonderful to digest here, as long as listeners do not expect the same polish that they are used to from this band.

Conor Fynes '_wE, Invaders' - uneXpect (6/10)

Although 'Utopia' was the official beginning of this crazy Quebecois metal project, '_wE, Invaders' is the first time we get to hear the most recognizable incarnation of the band. While 'Utopia' was full of promise, weirdness, and bright potential, there were flaws in the execution that set it apart from the latter work, as well as a different lineup than the one we know today. As brief as this mini-album is, '_wE, Invaders' is an important mark in the development of this band; a stepping stone for their more involving work to come.

'_wE, Invaders' is a four track effort, with one song being a re-recording of a track from 'Utopia', and another that would eventually become fleshed out into a track from the band's magnum opus, 'In A Flesh Aquarium'. In almost every respect, uneXpect have tuned up their act and delivery; that's not to say that 'Utopia' was shabby by any mark, but over the years in between, uneXpect have fermented into a truly excellent band. The sound- as one might expect- is a bridge between the more traditional blend of metal on 'Utopia', to the who- knows-what of 'Flesh Aquarium'. As far as EPs in general are concerned, '_wE, Invaders' stands out for its depth as a listen. Despite only working with four tracks, much of the sound is dense and chaotic, with various vocal gurgles often fighting to lead the band onward. Violins are an important aspect of uneXpect's sound as always.

As far as the songwriting goes, 'In Velvet Coffins We Slept' is undoubtedly the album's highlight. A song that I first heard on 'Utopia', uneXpect gives their classic track a new once- over, with a sense of production and tighter performance more fitting of such a complex composition. The band shows many of their dimensions here, going from melodic black metal sounds to a brittle folk interlude, all within the course of one mini-epic. 'Novae' and 'Rooted Shadows' are more typical uneXpect tracks, with 'typical' meaning 'strange' and 'insane' in this case. All the same, for their weirdness, they are not too surprising to hear, and don't tread outside of the band's comfort zone, save for a few experiments with electronics. Lastly, the EP closes with a piano rendition of the song 'Chromatic Chimaera', a piece that many fans will more likely associate as the opening track on 'In A Flesh Aquarium'. Truly, it only feels like a shadow of the latter version. Despite being a quirky and technically accomplished piano composition, it lacks the dynamic and depth that I feel the full-band version would later bring to the table.

'_wE, Invaders' is certainly a worthy listen for any fan of Canada's avant-metal darlings, although it feels dwarfed by the band's full-length material, including their debut 'Utopia'. All the same, it is a necessary piece of the band's development into the jaw-dropping act they are today.

UMUR "Utopia" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian avant garde metal act Unexpect. The album was self-released by the band in 1999. "Utopia" was released 7 years before Unexpect´s critically acclaimed breakthrough album "In a Flesh Aquarium (2006)". The band hadn´t been inactive in those 7 years though as they released an EP called "We, Invaders" in 2003.

The music on "Utopia" is unmistakably the sound of Unexpect. If you are familiar the avant garde metal style they play on "In a Flesh Aquarium" you won´t be surprised by how they sound on "Utopia". "Utopia" is just a pretty imature version of the music style on the excellent "In a Flesh Aquarium". Unexpect mix genres like thrash metal/ black metal/ death metal/ symphonic metal/ Avant garde and power metal which gives them their own unique sound. The vocal style is generally very aggressive but there are semi-operatic female vocals on the album too. The compositions are as mentioned a bit imature though and the album comes off inconsistent and a bit amaturish as a consequence of the songwriting but the musicianship on "Utopia" is also a bit shaky and some parts suffer quite a bit because of that.

The worst part of "Utopia" and the part that almost completely ruins my listening experience is the production though. The sound is weak, empty and seriously lacking power. The guitars sound powerless and the drums (which by the way are a bit to busy for comfort during some of the calm parts on the album) have an awful sound. The sound on the album is pretty much what I´d call demo quality and not of the good kind.

I´d say "Utopia" is a hardcore fan thing only. I´m not even sure the hardcore fans will enjoy this too much. Imature songwriting, bad sound production and shaky musicianship adds up to a 1.5 - 2 star rating.