LUNARSEA Earthling / Terrestre CD

The 2019 album Earthling / Terrestre by the Italian band Lunarsea, released as a professional CD digipak through Punishment 18 Records, is a standout work of Progressive Melodic Death Metal. Marking the band's fourth full-length effort, this record represents a pinnacle of their technical yet melodic approach, often compared to the Swedish giants of the genre like Dark Tranquillity and early In Flames. The album is characterized by its dual nature, blending aggressive blast beats and guttural vocals with sophisticated progressive arrangements, atmospheric synthesizers, and clean vocal passages that provide a balanced, modern sound. The record is meticulously produced, featuring recording and mixing by Giuseppe Orlando and mastering by the renowned Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. The lineup for this release includes Alessandro Iacobellis on lead vocals, Fabiano Romagnoli on guitars and keyboards, Cristian Antolini on bass and clean vocals, and a standout drumming performance by Andrea Miazzetto. The ten-track journey begins with the epic, six-minute opener Light-Hearted In An Ergonomic Resin, followed by the title track The Earthling and the relentless energy of In Expectance. Other notable compositions include Helical Stalemate, Aqueducts, and Humanoid, Mannequin, Androgyne, which showcase the band's ability to weave complex rhythmic structures into catchy, melodic frameworks. The final third of the album continues with Polar Covalent Bond, the powerful The Fourth Magnetar, and Mi Suthina, eventually concluding with the atmospheric instrumental outro π. For collectors, the digipak edition released by Punishment 18 is particularly desirable as it often includes bonus versions of Light-hearted In An Ergonomic Resin and The Fourth Magnetar, further extending the experience of this sci-fi influenced metal odyssey.