It’s almost impossible to listen to Chosen without envisioning some sombre, black-clad Nordic lords, but they actually hail from Ireland, albeit with a year spent in the frosty environs of Canada.
Resolution is a ferocious ode to technical death metal with the progressive melodic nuances of Opeth. There’s plenty to like about this record, from the nihilistic assault of dizzying riffs and shotgun blastbeats to the crunching intros bound to whip their fans into a tumult.
There’s not a dud track on Resolution; capable of conserving the epic temper fulfilled by soothing harmonies, Chosen muster a balance of musical efficiency with the brutal histrionics of Death and Gojira. Subtle tempo shifts also keep potential tedium at bay, such as on Mental Clarity, and the odd pinch harmonic or pick scrape is metallically playful.
Remarkably, vocalist Paul Shields’ gruff and pensive dichotomy echoes the likes of Katatonia and positions Resolution somewhere between the celestial and the subterranean. Brutally engaging stuff.
