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Sometimes, you come across a band that tries to do a lot of things and yet doesn't generally focus on what they're best at, and it's damn hard to talk about them without being as all over the place as their music. That's definitely the case with Sea of Consciousness on their debut album. I call this death/thrash because those are the identifiable base of their sound, but there's a very technical and progressive bent to the songwriting that spans a lot of different genres to make something that's got more identity than average. I hear shades of black metal, melodeath, trad, and even blues in some of the singing, which might make you think the songs are unfocused trainwrecks barely held together by strong musicianship, but the individual tracks are actually solidly constructed throughout and sport some stellar guitar work in spots. The big problem is that the band is pretty good at some things and fucking awesome at others, specifically when they lean harder on thrash and mood in a way that reminds me of old Metal Church, of all things. The transitions between those parts and the more extreme aspects of their sound are surprisingly smooth, but only in the way a slide is, taking you from propulsive highs to disappointing lows.

The above criticisms are best illustrated at how they misuse frontwoman Bionda Honings. When they have her rasp or roar, she sounds OK at best, but it's a far cry from the urgent thrash delivery she gives on the opening title track, and then it becomes clear that this woman was born to sing and sports a powerful voice with a delivery that sometimes borders on soul, especially when she digs into her lower ranges. Where she truly shines, and where the band proves they are capable of greatness, is the ballad "Reflections," which does away with any extremity and instead delivers a powerful and emotional song that almost sounds like it could have been on Blessing in Disguise, and it's such a great song I have no idea why they don't do away with the death metal and just focus on that instead.

This is a hard album to rate because while there's nothing here I'd call bad or even not good, it's less a unified album and more akin to a young band trying to do everything they can to give themselves a real identity. In the hands of an act less capable, this would be embarrassing, but here it's mildly frustrating because they clearly have the chops to make a real dent in the underground and just need to focus on what they excel at instead of putting literally everything they can do into their music, even if they do most of it pretty well. I definitely have hopes that they'll learn to stick to their strengths and build on them in the future, and if nothing else, everyone should go listen to "Reflections" to understand what those are, but for now, this remains a promising debut that tries to promise too much for its own good.