Touting themselves as a progressive industrial death metal duo, New York’s Nova Lex can at least take pride in their strong sense of ambition. Only time will tell whether it leads them to greater artistic accomplishment, but I have to admit that this EP excels in many areas that haven’t been touched by their peers. The most striking feature they are bringing to the table is their willingness to experiment with different vocal styles. Not content to settle for the usual death growls interspersed with clean operatic sections, this band prefers to balance their infernal grunts with weird 80’s progressive pop sensibilities (think Soft Cell or Depeche Mode), thus creating an atmosphere that is almost disturbing in its uniqueness.

In the course of listening to this disc, it became apparent to me that Nova Lex will likely draw as much contempt as adoration for the simple fact that they are marching to their own beat. While their approach isn’t as heavy or complex as many of prog metal’s frontrunners, it is distinctive and (above all) interesting. When one considers the powerful melodies that make up a song like Internal Truth against this scene’s most recent offerings, it’s hard to even count Nova Lex as a band that occupies the same territory. These guys aren’t playing it safe by any means, and it’s unfortunate that they will be overlooked by those who just don t get it. If you happen to be one of those prog metal fans (and there aren’t many of you) who can rise above the trends that have been imposed upon you, then Nova Lex is a band that might just change your musical limits. But if you think that Dream Theater, Pain of Salvation, and Symphony X are the only bands who have successfully melded heaviness with melodic sensibility there was never much hope for you in the first place.

Just in case all this talk of strong vocals and melodic structure have alienated some of you, let it be known that tracks six through nine of this disc are extended forays into the depths of experimentation and ambience the likes of which will provide a nice backdrop for your next contemplative excursion or suicide attempt (whichever comes first). Get in touch at http://www.testingpointrecords.com to find out what you’ve been missing.

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