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Deus Ex Machina is an ambitious band that sadly fall victim to their own recording quality. It is clear on this release that there are many things that the band is trying to do that they think will sound cool, and that if implemented correctly would make great songs. They try to be progressive and technical, and while they definitely succeed at establishing those atmospheres, everything sounds altogether too muddy. One of the main purposes of Progressive Metal bands is to show off their chops to the listener, and while there are many parts in this EP that I'm sure are difficult to play, I can't quite make them out. Oftentimes the bass gets lost among the other instruments and the rhythm can shift at impractical times, which makes me wonder if the band meant to do things like this or if they were just lazy, didn't get the recording right the first time, and decided to just keep whatever the recorded. It's hard to admire a band's technical proficiency when it sounds like the instruments can hardly keep up with each other.

It's easy to bash Deus Ex Machina, but they are an ambitious group who obviously know what they want to do with their music. I feel that if they managed to get into the studio to re-record these same tracks they would end up being a lot better, as I would be able to catch and distinguish all the instruments. The real victim of this album isn't the music, because a lot of it is catchy ("The Mask" is a great song with some especially evil and catchy parts and an amazing bassline), more as it is the recording. So please, if you're reading this, Deus Ex Machina, find yourself a real studio and apply your potential, and maybe the next release will be a lot better, and clearer, than this self-titled EP.