{"id":646682,"date":"2026-05-03T09:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T09:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/646682\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T09:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T09:46:13","slug":"cognizance-in-light-no-shape-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/646682\/","title":{"rendered":"Cognizance – In Light, No Shape Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A \u201cfaster is better\u201d philosophy has long defined technical death metal, with bands regularly operating at breakneck speeds. While that approach requires undeniable virtuosity, I\u2019ve always gravitated toward the genre\u2019s more restrained, focused, and groove-oriented side. Cognizance initially walked the well-trodden path of bands like The Faceless and The Zenith Passage on their debut, Malignant Dominion<\/a>, displaying speed and technicality in equal measure, but doing little to distinguish themselves from a crowded field. However, to their credit, the international quintet-turned-quartet has spent the past three albums gradually cementing their identity, culminating with 2024\u2019s Phantazein. Though it got Stuck in the Filter<\/a>, the record was packed with punishing grooves, strong songwriting, and phenomenal performances, containing all the qualities that keep me returning to the genre regularly. Two short years later, Cognizance returns with In Light, No Shape.<\/p>\n

Much of Cognizance\u2019s growth over the years stems from its stable lineup, though the recent departure of longtime vocalist Henry \u201cBig Mac\u201d Pryce disrupted that continuity. Guitarist Alex Baillie has since assumed vocal duties, marking a shift in the group\u2019s sound. Baillie fills the role admirably, trading Pryce\u2019s deathcore-leaning growls for a style closer to David Davidson (Revocation). In fact, In Light, No Shape\u2014particularly tracks like \u201cVertical Illusion,\u201d \u201cWitness Marks,\u201d \u201cChasm,\u201d and \u201cThe Zone\u201d\u2014leans heavily into Revocation\u2019s progressive stylings to its benefit. Drummers and longtime fans should already know the name David Diepold (ex-Obscura), but for anyone who doesn\u2019t, consider this your required introduction. The dude absolutely cooks on this record. Whether through artful fills or splashy accents, he commands the material like a conductor leading an orchestra, sitting front and center in the record\u2019s solid mix. Not to be outdone, guitarists Apostolis Karydis and Baillie, along with bassist Chris Binns, lock with Diepold effortlessly, never once sounding strained as they ebb between calibrated riffing, evocative solos, and ornate passages across the record\u2019s 37 minutes.<\/p>\n

In Light, No Shape by Cognizance<\/a><\/p>\n

Rather than following the Archspire school of extravagance, In Light, No Shape shows Karydis and Baillie easing off the accelerator, leaning more into atmosphere than velocity, with Diepold shouldering most of the speed. The duo utilizes more spacey arpeggiated passages (\u201cA Reconfiguration,\u201d \u201cWitness Marks,\u201d \u201cA Game of Proliferation\u201d) than on Phantazein, giving In Light, No Shape a feeling of dynamism and expansiveness. Accordingly, the songwriting strikes a keen balance between technical, immersive, and hooky, while leaving room for each element to breathe. Opener \u201cTransient Fixations\u201d wastes no time launching into hyperdrive, blasting and chugging through its sub\u2011three\u2011minute runtime, essentially functioning as an intro track that reaffirms that this is still the Cognizance fans will know. And while it feels a bit short, it flows seamlessly into \u201cInflection Chants’\u201d groovy opening, making it work. Later, the surges of melodic tremolos and blasts that fuel \u201cChasm\u201d give way to a haunting, aura-rich soundscape, where cymbal accents melt into jaunty tom fills before everything cascades back into overdrive. Similar structures drive tracks like \u201cThe Zone\u201d and Song o\u2019 the Year candidate \u201cA Game of Proliferation,\u201d while others (\u201cInduced Contortions,\u201d \u201cSubterranean Incantation\u201d) stick closer to standard tech death.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To state the obvious, tech death production usually sucks. Thankfully, In Light, No Shape isn\u2019t totally brickwalled to hell, clocking in at a DR of 6. While that number looks average on paper, the mix retains a surprisingly natural edge while still delivering the punch and low-end presence needed to let the intricacies of the performances shine. Yes, it\u2019s still compressed, but it never totally collapses on itself either. The guitars carry plenty of bite, avoiding the trap of sounding overly synthetic or overproduced, though the solos sit too far back in the mix for my liking. Likewise, the use of robotic spoken word interludes on tracks like \u201cInflection Chants\u201d and \u201cTransient Fixations\u201d is conceptually fine, but they get lost behind the loud drums and end up feeling pointless. It\u2019s a trade-off I can ultimately live with, though.<\/p>\n

After multiple spins, In Light, No Shape stands toe-to-toe with Phantazein. Overcoming a key member\u2019s departure isn\u2019t easy, and while the album\u2019s stylistic changes may feel reactive or too familiar, most come across as deliberate, pointing to a group resettling their identity. Cognizance continues to emerge as one of tech death\u2019s most compelling acts and In Light, No Shape highlights what the genre can achieve when done right.<\/p>\n

Rating: Very Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb\/s mp3
Label: Willowtip Records<\/a>
Websites: cognizance.bandcamp.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/cognizanceband<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: May 1st, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A \u201cfaster is better\u201d philosophy has long defined technical death metal, with bands regularly operating at breakneck speeds.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":646683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[10968,25471,124322,64,63,100764,312900,11492,134,312901,312902,136,312903,312904,25486,228,229,110422,38362,312905,312906,312907],"class_list":["post-646682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-10968","tag-3-5","tag-archspire","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-british-metal","tag-cognizance","tag-death-metal","tag-entertainment","tag-in-light","tag-may26","tag-music","tag-no-shape","tag-obscura","tag-progressive-death-metal","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-revocation","tag-technical-death-metal","tag-the-faceless","tag-the-zenith-passage","tag-willowtip-records"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/646683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}