Though most think Metal Blade are more miss than hit with their recent metalcore offerings (i.e Phoenix Mourning, Machinemade God), their sub label, Ironclad have had a little more success (The Classic Struggle, If Hope Dies) and continue that with this debut album.

Though named after a bee farm, not a very metal moniker I’ll admit, Apiary deliver the type of angular but burlier Meshuggah-isms similar to the likes of A Life Once Lost, By Night, Brutal Fight and The Minor Times; that’s to say heaving, heavy and staggering metal that’s hard to bang your head to.

Music like this isn’t about songs, as to be truthful, Lost in Focus tends to blend into one long angular, jagged assault with Jason Ingram’s deep roar in accompaniment, but when taken as a whole, Lost in Focus is a bludgeoning jackhammer of counter rhythms and precise percussion that’s one of the better, and heavier examples of the genre I’ve heard. 

A few of the tracks manage to stand out due to the sheer heaviness on display though; ‘Descent’ (the last two minutes is just fucking brutal), the steam rolling ‘Omnipresence’, and the gargantuan yet restrained ‘Finding a Way Back’ were worth a revisit. Still though, the other tracks are no slouches as far as this form of technical beat down is concerned; ‘Pain is the Reason’, ‘Extract’, ‘Intervention’ and ‘Lustrum’ all deliver plenty of teeth gnashing, squeal heavy, lumbering throes.

Another solid offering from Ironclad that shows originality can be a tad overrated.

[Visit the band's website]

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