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"I love when things like Minnesota based Epicurean come across my desk. I love it because when music surprises me it becomes a lot more fun than when it make me react the way I knew I would. I like when my brain and my heart fight for dominance in a review and Epicurean have unleashed an epic war between the two. Essentially I shouldn’t like Epicurean. Based on the criteria for giving other bands bad reviews I should be dismissive of this six-piece thrashy keyboard heavy band. First off they have keyboards and other than Type O, Faith No More or a few scattered bands, keyboards have always meant suck for me. I also usually don’t like things that are this catchy, I usually put my jerky art-guy hat on and revel in only the most brutal and ugly music. My head is telling me all that but my heart is screaming that Epicurean’s Metal Blade debut album “A Consequence Of Design” is really, really good. This isn’t the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard, there’s not much going on here that you couldn’t find in other bands in terms of sound (thrashy, Goth, a bit of death metal) or orchestration (intro, fast, faster, breakdown/solo, fast, end—keyboards throughout) but here it’s all about the execution. Epicurean do what they do in a seriously cut-above-the-rest way. The sound they have is honed to a perfect sphere, encompassing the ideas they try to get across to the listener. Imagine mid-eighties era thrash metal but completely updated for this age and having keyboards that don’t fuck the album up. In fact the keyboards here feel interwoven with the music so they help push the song along instead of trying to create some overdeveloped sense of mood or importance like so many other bands do. In other words Epicurean don’t depend on the keyboards, they are just part of the make up of the song. From the opening track “The Author And The Architect” Epicurean establish who they are and what they are about almost instantly. It’s as if a carnival director came out and said “Step right up ladies and gentlemen and take a listen to the Twin Cities addition to the world of gothic thrash metal” and then you’re off. They don’t deviate from that mix; there aren’t any sudden surprises. Instead Epicurean focus on making sure that all eleven songs are the best of their genre they can be. Vocalist John Laramey really helps with their cause by having a great voice both for his scream and his sudden bursts of “normal” singing which have a really charming and ethereal quality to them. His chorus in “Behind The Chapel Walls” is really beautifully done and exists as a great juxtaposition to the screaming you’ve heard up until now. A Consequence Of Design makes the listener feel as though the band is creating their own soundtrack to a film running only inside their own heads. The dynamics here seem to be based on the actions of a storyline we’re not privy to but can figure out if we pay attention to the music. Even though Epicurean makes full use of their two guitars, the solos they take as well as the drums being all over the place and then the keyboards nothing seems bloated or wasted, each part feels as though it needs to be there. There is the occasional misstep, like the tune “Anathema The Gate Keeper” but those are few and easily overlooked. I do fear for the band when their next album comes out. Epicurean had been playing around for a while and had even recorded an earlier version of A Consequence Of Design before Metal Blade snatched them up, remixed the album and added two extra tunes. This kind of balancing act usually takes time and polishing, I fear they may not find the same muse when it comes time to do a second record. That being said we do have them in the here and now and Epicurean have given us eleven songs that I find a lot more entertaining than most of the bands who try and execute this same style. As I said, in my brain I know this album tends to get repetitive, that the songs follow the same basic blueprint and they don’t waiver much from song to song. Intellectually I should be dissecting how the band needs to expand their horizons but I just can’t, I have to be honest with myself and admit I really liked A Consequence Of Design. If you’re like me and not into this style you should still give the album a try, you will be pleasantly surprised. If this style is what you go for then get ready for your new favorite album." -Iann Robinson, nonelouder.com "Minneapolis' Epicurean have brought a breath of fresh air in the form of the band's debut record, A Consequence of Design. Technically, they released it a while back on their own while still toiling around the Midwest, but now Metal Blade has released the effort globally, and for that I'm definitely thankful. Lead track "The Author And The Architecht" mixes keyboards, guitar shred, death metal vocals and clean, epic choruses in a way most modern bands can only hope to manage. Much of the same is the staple of Design's entirety. And while they might employ some of the typical metalcore armaments, this debut is anything but such. Coming off as a way more technical version - at least in the shred section - of a less rhythm-driven Fear Factory, or a less formulaic and predictable Bleeding Through, sans redundant breakdowns, A Consequence of Design is surprisingly refreshing, relying on shredding solos and undeniably catchy melodies over rhythmic prowess or stereotypical song structure and overly utilized breakdowns that litter so many of today's current bands. Heck, there isn't even a breakdown on the whole record if I recall. The band's bio puts it best by describing its sound as as European influenced with progressive flair without being overburdening. Imagine a less progressive version of Mercenary or a more modern, European sound than Fear Factory and you might start grasping the concept that is A Consequence of Design. Frontman, and artist, John Laramy does an awesome job of moderating both clean and screamed vocals, while Jared Schneider's keys swirl about without overwhelming and John Major and Jared Mills match the shred of Nevermore with the technical thrashing tendencies of Mors Principium Est (a personal favorite). "Dividing The Difference" showcases Major and Mills' fretboard finesse, but oddly enough features on of the record's least-effective choruses, while "Anathema: The Gatekeeper" features what could be an epic 80s guitar solo behind powerfully backing keys before launching into an all-out chunky rhythmic triplets section over Laramy's commanding vocals. All the while, "Darkest of Days" features one of the catchier, albeit incredibly brief, choruses overtop quickly picked arpeggiated chords leads into one of the record's best endings. And if "Lithograph" isn't the first pseudo-single, then it should be, what with its hooky chorus and unpredictable song structure. There are two brief complaints for A Consequence of Design, though, albeit of the minor variety: The album comes off as a little long-winded and takes some time to get through - nine tracks with only one under the five-minute mark, and more than a few nearing or cracking the six minute length. On top of that, the mix seems a little flat, as everything seems to blend together a bit, most notably during choruses when layers upon layers of audio are working together to achieve the epic grandeur Epicurean was no doubt aiming for. But hey, that's usually what happens when label re-release an album after the band has already stuck it out on their own with it prior. Those are minor qualms and definitely don't detract from the overall (refreshing) feel of A Consequence of Design." -Deadtide.com "Look up the phrase "bombastic metal," and there may well be a picture of the gentlemen who go by the name of Epicurean. And while the group may possess a sound that is more akin to what is coming out of Europe circa the early 21st century, it turns out that this suddenly popular part-prog/part-extreme metal style has made its way to U.S. shores, as Epicurean hail from Minneapolis, MN. And you can even pinpoint a few of the group's influences on its 2008 release, Consequence of Design, including Dream Theater-esque keyboards, Iron Maiden-esque guitar solos, thrash metal guitar rhythms, and a vocalist who alternates between death metal screams and more traditional metallic wailing. Just take a gander at such song titles as "The Author and the Architect" and "Lithograph," and it becomes quickly apparent that Epicurean have studied their prog metal forefathers -- and rather expectedly, the music follows suit. Epicurean's Consequence of Design manages to straddle the line between technically demanding and headbanging." -Greg Prato, Billboard.com

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