Chaos Over Cosmos - The Hypercosmic Paradox

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 Chaos Over Cosmos is a technical metal band, formed in 2015 by Polish musician Rafał Bowman.  The latest album from the project is its fourth full-length album “The Hypercosmic Paradox.”  Additionally, two EPs and a compilation have also been released.  Rafał is the guitarist and composer but he has joined forces with Pakistan based vocalist Taha Mohsin.  

I’m really digging the overall vibe and atmosphere of this album.  There is a lot of variety here, with the technical flourishes running alongside elements of melodic death and progressive music.  This concoction of different styles definitely works in the favor album because it’s highly memorable.  It is fast paced with mind bending passages but, at the same time, it’s just melodic enough.  I really like the sci-fi/spacey atmosphere, it is great world building using the power of music.  

The keys are impressive; they don’t overtake the music nor are they just there for background filler—they play an integral role in the music by being seamlessly integrated into the songs. The songs are just the right length too, none of them reaching the 10-minute mark.  The album itself is just over 33 minutes in length across its five songs.  Honestly, I don’t mind this because, personally, I don’t always need a tech death album that’s an hour long.  However, again, that is a personal preference, and someone might feel differently but, with that being said, the length isn’t going to bother anyone.  The album feels very complete within its time frame and anything over that running time might not work as well. 

The production is stellar, as clear as the start shine at midnight.  When it comes to anything techy or proggy, I definitely like an album that sounds polished—it is the best way to hear all the bells and whistles.

So, let’s dive into the songs themselves now!  The opening song is the mini-epic instrumental “Nostalgia for Something that Never Happened.”  It is a very immediate song, a furious lead guitar melody opening up the song for some really catchy and otherworldly synths.  The guitars/bass rise—the tension snaps, rebuilds in seconds, and repeats until just over the halfway mark turns the song into a soundscape of atmospheric textures before another ripping solo arrives. Fantastic way to introduce the album!

“When The Void Laughs,” fades in as the sonic intensity grows.  I don’t know if the drums are real or not—regardless, they are either played or programmed very well and add so much fire to this song.  The lead guitar and drums seem to be on a race to who can go the fastest—everyone wins.  The vocals are a decent mix of high and low extremes and compliment the instruments well.  I love the middle portion with the lightning-fast rhythm paired with the solo which begins slower but ends up blazing on through.  

“Even Horizon Rebirth,” is my favorite song on the album—that main synth riff is just so damn catchy.  The vocals add some groove to the melodic music with the cadence of the growls.  I feel this song really gives a strong representation of the album’s overall approach.  A lot of the solos in this song are both technical and brain swelling yet just melodic enough to provide a hook.  The last minute and a half or so feel like there is a universe expanding inside my mind’s eye.

The last full-length song is “The Cosmo-Agony:  Requiem.”  This is a clever song, the intro consisting of a slower paced rhythm while the lead guitars build up the speed and intensity.  It works well and feels like a true point of synergy between all these moving parts.  The passages with vocals are among the most intense on the album too.

The final song, “The Fractal Mechanism,” is basically just an outro but its heavy sci-fi approach fits the rest of the album and is a solid way to end it. 

Ultimately, Chaos Over Cosmos’ “The Hypercosmic Paradox,” is a great prog/tech album that’s light on self-indulgence bullshit and heavy on crafting memorable, adventurous songs.  

 Rating:  Great















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