Fragments Of Unbecoming
Skywards - A Sylphe`s Ascension

May 2004
Released: 2004, Metal Blade
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

Yet ANOTHER melodic death band?!?! Well, yes, but these guys are pretty good! Fragments of Unbecoming hail from Germany and incorporate everything that people love (and hate) about melodic death. The dual guitar riffing, the harsh vocals, the brutal drumming and hook-filled music…it’s all here. The band has obviously studied the Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates textbook of melodic death, but they do it very well on the rather verbosely named, SKYWARDS – A SYLPHE’S ASCENSION.



“The Seventh Sunray Enlights My Pathway” and “Shapes of Pursuers” are dripping with shredding guitars and hook-filled melodies. “Fear My Hatred” is a brutally fast track with an amazing vocal from Stefan Weimar and some crazy drumbeats courtesy of Ingo Maier. Curiously, there are four instrumental tracks here, the most interesting being “Lour Pulse” with its groovy rhythm and backwards finale.



Just getting the band’s name and album title out of your mouth almost requires a rest part way through, but for melodic death fans, it will be worth your breath. The guitarwork on this CD is quite impressive and with none-too-subtle nods to the gods of melodic death, Fragments of Unbecoming have begun to structure a niche for themselves among the countless copycats who are trudging the same path.



KILLER KUTS: “The Seventh Sunray Enlights My Pathway,” “Shapes of Pursuers,” “Lour Pulse,” “Fear My Hatred”