PROTEUS Personal Narrative of Cognitive Dreamscapes CD

Released on Christmas Day, 2007, Personal Narrative of Cognitive Dreamscapes is the only studio album by the Boston based extreme metal band Proteus, issued through the Japanese label Macabre Mementos Records. Operating within the niche of Technical Brutal Death Metal, the band was known for their chaotic and experimental approach, which often drew comparisons to the more spastic and jazz influenced side of the deathgrind scene. The quartet consisted of vocalist Matt Tillman-Hart, guitarist Paul Kimball, bassist Drew Copeland-Will, and drummer Ronnie Dimetrio, all of whom were active in other notable Boston underground acts such as Dysentery and Parasitic Extirpation. The album is comprised of eight tracks that blend relentless slam grooves with dizzying technical complexity and science-fiction themes. Tracks like the three-part 4th Dimensional Turbulence and the nearly nine-minute closer Sobbing Willow Neath Morning Sky showcase the band's willingness to push the boundaries of the genre by incorporating atmospheric passages and unconventional structures. Despite its brief 31-minute runtime, the record is a dense and jarring listening experience, defined by its cavernous yet frantic production. While the band split up in late 2008, Personal Narrative of Cognitive Dreamscapes remains a cult favorite for fans of early 2000s experimental brutal death metal, often cited alongside bands like Dripping and Wormed both of whom were also associated with the Macabre Mementos roster.