Basically, Control Denied is Death with power vocals, i.e. technical metal. Indeed, this side project stemming from Chuck Schuldiner's tortuous mind finally hatched. The musicians are more or less the ones of the current Death line-up (Schuldiner and Shannon Hamm on guitars, Richard Christy on drums), with the notable additions of Tim Aymar on vocals and the legendary Steve DiGiorgio on bass.

As a matter of fact, the compositions remind a lot of Death: fast staccato riffing alternating with slower chords, the whole bundle integrating numerous progressive features, i.e. frequent tempo changes, atonality, complex rhythm patterns, chromatic scales, dissonance, intricate song structure, among others. The technical edge, though obvious, is in the mid-range complexity; yet the precision and tightness of this cutting edge band are absolutely top-notch, seldom achieved at such a level by others.

Tim Aymar's vocals are clearly the most important change in comparison to the usual cookie monster vox. Tim has a broad range, varying from raspy yelling to powerful, melodic singing, not to forget mentioning some high-pitched shrieks. The overall result is actually most of the time very pleasant.

Extraordinary present is also the outstanding performance of Steve DiGiorgio. His bass sound is clean and astonishingly noticeable in the foreground. The production is by the way stellar, incredibly balanced without sacrificing the sheer heaviness and unbridled power of the music. Only a handful of metal bands dare to create a truly original music blend. Those who achieve such a great creative result must be acclaimed. Control Denied is one of them. (AS)

4 3/4 out of 5