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It's said that given the right conditions, ANYTHING can
happen. It's no wonder that seemingly small coincidences coalesced within a very
specific time window at a very specific geographical location in western Canada to
give rise to the sonic phenomenon known as DIVINITY.
While singer/guitarist Sean Jenkins was still in high
school jamming in a basement with friends in Calgary, Alberta, his life path
crossed with guitarist James Duncan, creating the solid foundation DIVINITY would
later come to rest on. Leaving the comforts of their rehearsal space to test their
skills in a live setting, the Canadian natives made their on-stage debut by playing
live "Battle of the Bands" shows in Calgary. Several years and several line-up
changes later, the chemistry created by the addition of drummer Brett Duncan
prompted the band to record their five-song Intensify EP. Deciding on a dual guitar
approach, Sacha Laskow was recruited into the band's ranks, and when Nick Foster
was enlisted to handle bass duties, DIVINITY had at last found their missing fifth
element.
Brought together by serendipity and gifted with the sight to see
the necessity of and place for variety, a surging creativity has always fueled
these talented, similarly-minded musicians. Armed with his own arsenal of
growls, high-pitched screams, and melodic clean vocals, founding DIVINITY
member and lead singer Sean Jenkins has successfully overseen the amalgamation
of multiple genres: a crushing thrash attitude with complex progressive metal
arrangements and brutal death metal overtones. The resulting compositions are
devastating. The poise of each song's shifting time signatures and their
unpredictable rhythmic insanities alone will easily qualify DIVINITY's new
album as one of the more memorable aural assaults of 2009.
Featuring guest death & harmony vocals by Jeff Waite
and Jerrod Maxwell-Lyster, The Singularity's intricate riffs, plunging grooves, and
melodic passages can carry you through the expansive landscape of the soul.
Lyrically tackling the themes of substance abuse, the turmoil of relationships,
survival in the midst of adversity, the chaos of existence and humanity's battle
against technology, Jenkins explores the parameters of the human voice while
capable shredders James Duncan & Sacha Laskow weave their unyielding riffs
& solos throughout as the rhythm section of Brett Duncan & Nick Foster
aptly demonstrates a very feral meticulousness. 'Abiogenesis', 'Beg to Consume',
and 'Emergent' all exhibit DIVINITY's dynamic and ferocious range.
A damned-with-talent band sure to please fans of Into
Eternity, Strapping Young Lad, and Soilwork, keep DIVINITY on your radar. With a
long & healthy future ahead of them, the auditory diversity of DIVINITY's The
Singularity makes it a serious contender for one of the most solid sophomore
releases in a mixed genre and will surely propel these musicians out of their
native homeland and into the rest of the metal world.
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