Artist: Reflections
Album: The Fantasy Effect
Genre: Djent, experimental, groove metal, heavy metal, ambient, post-rock
RIYL: Born of Osiris, Within the Ruins, Animals As Leaders, Veil of Maya, Volumes
Minnesota based djent band which consists of Jake Foster, Patrick Somoulay, Charles Caswell, Francis Xayana, and Cam Murray. The band was formed in 2010 and had made huge strides in a short period of time. With guitarists Patrick and Charles’s outstanding demonstration of their solo skills, Jake’s energetic growls, Francis’ solid basslines, and Cam’s above-standard drumming, eOne finally signed the band this year in March and the band is going to release their new album this fall. Finally, their potentials, unique tinge of sounds, and solid fan base render them one of the most well-known bands in the underground djent community.
(It was surprising that this album was completely in a home studio and the drummer is only a senior graduating this year.)
FCC: 1, 2, 9

FCC***1.Ceilings (3.13)- Starts off with fantastical soundscapes as a prelude to the album, woosh sounds, and then drums slowly enters, brutal/chuggy djenty guitar starts off with Jake’s restless growl. Guitar keeps playing around with the polyrhythm technics.
FCC***2. Ms. Communication (2.29)- bloody/reckless slaughtering guitar kicks in and then (Cam’s?) voiceover; loves how the two guitars complement each other so well and it even made me think the two guitars were ‘conversing’ with each other. Used a lot of processed sounds.
***3.Good Push (5.11)- Ambient soundscapes kick in/floating, soothing; chuggy guitar riffs followed up; Jake’s vocals definitely added some dimensions into the song; it was brilliant how they applied their knowledge of polyrhythms so well that even most part of the album were polyrhythms, listeners won’t even feel ‘boring’, which was one of the predicaments metal bands always face. The ending solo conveys a bright feeling. Near the end, ambient guitar softens the core.
***4.Picture Perfect (3.46)- Rhythmic chaos; Jake definitely put efforts in diversifying his range; Patrick’s solo here was a bit exotic; crazy solos near the middle and the end, watch out!
****5. An Artifact (4.57)- starts off with some passages of killer solos and bursts into post-rock layers of soundscapes!; Patrick’s solos are definitely the highlights in this album, seriously; the diverse elements in the album make the whole album stands out; the solos in 1:55 prove them not to be amateurs; highly recommend this band! LOVE the end part where the ambient and delicacy dominates and shows how the soft emotions flow. (They can be good at everything!)
***6. Advance Upon Me Brethren (4.48)- menacing/chugging riffs to; one of the album themes: perfectly complemented guitars; layers and gradation of depth; sticky tones.
**7. Lost … (1.32)- creeping sound layers as a prelude to the next epic song; no vocals
*******8. … And Found (6.03)- The best and the most popular song in the album; this song reaches the climax of the album; Jake demonstrates his excellence in his control of his vocal range; chugging riffs chasing; sprawling short solos filled in - highlight!; highly processed guitar tones; it was unbelievable how late a record label signed them; they were supreme not only because the ripeness of their use of skills but also they were able to keep the whole album fun, filled with surprises, and not bored by the repetition. Perfect/crazy solos and the additional post-rockish interludes render this song one of my favorites in the summer. MY LIFE IS COMPLETE.
FCC*****9. Rotations (7.22)- Solos kick in; processed tones continually slaughters your ears; love, love, love how the guitars fit/complement each other without one side being overly dominant; an interlude around 1:28 is the highlight; post-rockish tinge forebodes the massive soundscapes of metal/post-rock later in the song; it dims, conceals, and fades away with whispers, and Jake’s overvoice suggests the incoming outburst of emotions; I’m dying.
****10. Sandblasted Skin (Pantera Cover) (3.09)- Djenty-version of Sanblasted Skin - a tribute to Pantera; Caswell actually covered some of Pantera’s other songs in his youtube channel; decent cover!