Indicative of just how quickly the hole for quality European metal in North America has closed, Communic’s Payment of Existence is currently without a domestic release date. Same bodes for the equally mighty Mercenary, whose excellent Architect of Lies has been floating about import bins for nearly two months. We’ll leave the economics up to the suits on this one – both bands have reportedly failed to sell in North America, so get ‘yer import dollars ready…

The third proper Communic release, Payment of Existence sees Communic stay in line with 2006’s Waves of Visual Decay, an album that was more straightforward and less dynamic than 2005’s beyond-killer Conspiracy In Mind. Just like Conspiracy and Waves, Payment of Existence is a long, winding pseudo prog-on Nevermore journey that requires a certain amount of patience, as Communic’s preponderance of ideas are steadily evolving throughout, with the results being more mixed than ever.

Album opener “On Ancient Ground” hits the ground running with deep, throbbing power riffs, while singer/guitarist Oddleif Stensland works within the Warrel Dane niche he’s carved for himself. Stensland rarely strays from his comfort pitch zone, yet is a valuable asset during “Through the Labyrinth of Years” and “Raven’s Cry.”

The somber-to-full-force surge of “Becoming of Man” ranks as an album highlight, especially during the melodically-pleasing chorus, while the band’s oft-used clean and acoustic guitar work is a forsaken element in “Unpredictables of Life” where a grooving main riff keeps Communic’s feet planted firmly in power-prog territory.

Certainly not as engaging as Conspiracy In Mind, Payment of Existence is Communic’s most hard-edged release to date, yet fails to recall those oh-so obvious dynamics that made their debut such a winner. Then again, these guys were never about redefining the power prog template – they were merely picking up where Nevermore left off with Dead Heart In A Dead World.

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