Launching themselves to the top of the Progressive Metal heap with the superlative Waves of Visual Decay, it was always going to be a difficult task for Communic to produce a worthy follow up. Subject to much criticism – a lot of which being unjust – Payment of Existence was proclaimed a failure and a fall from grace, something I have to disagree with. Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to tell you that this release can't attain the heights set by their sophomore effort; however I'll always be a one to defend this album. Payment… sees Communic hitting their stride as a band, oozing confidence and their signature sound.
Album opener "On Ancient Ground" is a damn fine track that utterly crushes you, with a sound so massive it's hard to believe that this was created by three guys. Most of the music on offer here is pretty crushing, taking a slower approach to the tracks than their previous release. However fans of rolling double bass will be pleased to hear the phenomenal "Unpredictables of Life", my personal favorite and quite possibly my favorite Communic track to date. "Becoming of Man" is another good track here especially at 2 minutes into the track where we see Communic doing what they do best. Another stand out track "Through The Labyrinth of Years" features some sweet double bass work, and particularly inventive fret-board hammering. Of course there are a few tracks which don't quite meet expectations. The title track is fairly average, and I find "Raven's Cry" is too long, although it gets pretty cool towards the end.
Don't let the criticisms of this release put you off as it's actually a damn fine album; however I will mention that this took me quite a few spins to fully appreciate. It wasn't until around 6 or 7 plays that I began to truly appreciate Payment of Existence. If you're a previously established fan I'm sure you'll be willing to put in the time. The fact of the matter is; even though by Communic's standards this release can't match up to their previous work, it's still cooler than a load of acts doing the rounds today. Recommended
