Archaea Announces "Catalyst" Physical Release

When does a Gothenburg melodeath band not sound like a Gothenburg melodeath band? When they’re Archaea, who roll out a hybrid of thrashy yet symphonic leanings in a melodeath package.

The band will drop a physical version of the "Catalyst" album this coming August 28th, 2015. The CD comes in a digipack with artwork and photos from Demithréa Mikulasi and Jessica Blomé.

Markus Heidarsson has a whiff of Ola Englund about his guitar playing, particularly in the solos, playing against the harsh roar of Nils Bossius and the tightly-wound rhythm section. Orchestral stabs punctuate tracks such as “Silhouette,” while “Vacuum” revels in a circus-like atmosphere, and “Salt” dances around a piano and strings melody amid the groovy stomp.

In their own words, the members of Archaea describe their lyrical themes as “struggles on a personal and global scale, elusive antagonists and the unyielding indifferent elements,” although “Quad Damage” reveals the band’s love of video games with a sly reference.