Payment of Existence

Payment of Existence
Studio album by Communic
Released	May 30, 2008
Recorded	Hansen Studios
Genre	Progressive metal, power metal
Length	62:42
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Jacob Hansen
Communic chronology

Last updated May 01, 2019

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Rock Hard (de)	(8/10)^[1]

Payment of Existence is the third studio album by the Norwegian progressive/power metal band Communic.

Progressive metal is a fusion genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock that combines the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral or "pseudo-classical" compositions of the latter.

Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contrast with the heaviness and dissonance prevalent for example in extreme metal. Power metal bands usually have anthem-like songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating a theatrical, dramatic and emotionally "powerful" sound. The term was first used in the middle of the 1980s and refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a later more widespread and popular style based in Europe, South America and Japan, with a lighter, more melodic sound and frequent use of keyboards.

Communic is a progressive metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. The band was founded in 2003 and has released five albums. The first two have received positive reviews from magazines and critics.

Track listing

All tracks written by Oddleif Stensland, arranged by Communic.

Oddleif Stensland is the vocalist and guitarist of Norwegian progressive/power metal band Communic. Stensland appeared on the 2007 Nuclear Blast All-Stars album, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Nuclear Blast Records.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"On Ancient Ground"	8:44
2.	"The Abandoned One"	8:45
3.	"Becoming of Man"	7:54
4.	"Payment of Existence"	7:32
5.	"Through the Labyrinth of Years"	5:39
6.	"Raven's Cry"	8:18
7.	"Unpredictables of Life"	6:39
8.	"Stone Carved Eyes"	9:11

Personnel

Communic

Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar
Erik Mortensen – bass
Tor Atle Andersen – drums

The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer either leads the vocal ensemble, or sets against the ensemble as the dominant sound. In vocal group performances, notably in soul and gospel music, and early rock and roll, the lead singer takes the main vocal part, with a chorus provided by other band members as backing vocalists.

Lead guitar is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure. The lead is the featured guitar, which usually plays single-note-based lines or double-stops. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, punk, fusion, some pop, and other music styles, lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompaniment chords and riffs.

In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section ; and to provide all or part of the harmony, i.e. the chords from a song's chord progression, where a chord is a group of notes played together. Therefore, the basic technique of rhythm guitar is to hold down a series of chords with the fretting hand while strumming or fingerpicking rhythmically with the other hand. More developed rhythm techniques include arpeggios, damping, riffs, chord solos, and complex strums.

Production

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Denmark.

In sound recording and reproduction, audio mixing is the process of combining multitrack recordings into a final mono, stereo or surround sound product. In the process of combining the separate tracks, their relative levels are adjusted and balanced and various processes such as equalization and compression are commonly applied to individual tracks, groups of tracks, and the overall mix. In stereo and surround sound mixing, the placement of the tracks within the stereo field are adjusted and balanced. Audio mixing techniques and approaches vary widely and have a significant influence on the final product.

Denmark, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, is a Nordic country and the southernmost of the Scandinavian nations. Denmark lies southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and is bordered to the south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark also comprises two autonomous constituent countries in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark proper consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterised by flat, arable land and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate. Denmark has a total area of 42,924 km² (16,573 sq mi), land area of 42,394 km² (16,368 sq mi), and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe Islands is 2,210,579 km² (853,509 sq mi), and a population of 5.8 million.

Technical information

Artwork by Jan Yrlund of Darkgrove Design.

External links

Interview with Oddleif about the album

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References

↑ Borrink, Mike. "Rock Hard". issue 253. Retrieved 21 May 2013.

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[1] Borrink, Mike. "Rock Hard". issue 253. Retrieved 21 May 2013.

v t e Communic
Oddleif Stensland Erik Mortensen Tor Atle Andersen
Albums	Conspiracy in Mind Waves of Visual Decay Payment of Existence The Bottom Deep