If one thing has been evident of Australia in the last few years it’s the ability to churn out top-notch shit. From The Day Everything Became Nothing to Fuck… I’m Dead and Psycroptic, the folks down in Oz have been given the metal community some great shit to listen to. Eventually, though, that record had to hit a bump in the road, and that bump is Alarum.

Eventuality marks the band’s Willowtip debut (second album total) and it’s apparent that these guys would love to be the next Cynic. They merge jazzy prog rock, guitar synths, and death metal in such a way that some of the older Florida fans still obsessed with Cynic’s Focus might mistake them as being a continuation of the band. They’re definitely skilled at mimicry and can hold their own musically.

Just one problem: when I say these guys are skilled at mimicry, I mean it. These guys go for the Cynic sound all the way down to the smallest part… and that includes Cynic’s ass-shitty vocals. Alarum’s vocalist fucking sucks. There is no way around it. While the infamous robo vocals are conspicuously missing (Thank God), the clean attempts at singing fucking reek harder than an out of tune soft rock frontman. While the death screeches are considerably better they lack the energy to keep my attention going.

Musically, yes, Alarum can fight with the best, but those vocals seriously delude the enjoyment of the material. If you absolutely need to hear present day Cynic, it would probably be best to go grab instrumental acts like Gordian Knot, because then you don’t need to listen to the cock-gurgling vocals. Alarum’s decent, but unless they overcome those vocals, they’re not worth the time.

Written By: Necro-tron