Origin: Riga, Latvia  
Genres: Death Metal
Official Site Facebook YouTube
Page online: June 17, 2003
Last update/review: August 17, 2006

Neglected Fields

This band's official website proudly proclaims Neglected Fields to be "Latvia's finest technical death metal band". It's hard to argue with this, since yes, they are from Latvia, they do indeed play technical death metal, and frankly there aren't a lot of other Latvian death metal bands at the moment to contend for the title of "finest". The band formed in 1995 and by 1998 had recorded their debut album Synthinity, interestingly released on the famous British label Neat Records (interesting in that this band sounds nothing like anything else Neat has ever released). Anytime the phrase "technical death metal" is mentioned bands such as Cynic and Atheist are invariably mentioned, and sure enough those two bands are good reference points when describing Synthinity, though arguably the arrangements here aren't quite as mature as those by the aformentioned influences. There is considerable musical talent here, and the songs twist and turn, but too often the songs seem to have too many unrelated riffs strung together, resulting in a rather unfocused sound (an exception is a pretty cool cover of "Breathe" by The Prodigy). By contrast, the band's second album, Mephisto Lettonica, displays quite a bit of growth. They are still rooted in technical death metal, but the addition of keyboards have helped to fill out their sound (and, at times, give a slight black metal flavor to the proceedings). The arrangements are now more broad but also more cohesive, and the aforementioned comparisons to Cynic and Atheist really don't apply anymore (among other reasons, the fusion influence of those bands is not found here). Lettonica is a healthy improvement over the debut, and a fine example of technically-minded symphonic death metal.

Current Members

Sergey

vocals/guitars

Sergey

guitars

Sergey

bass/backing vocals

George

keyboards

Karlis

drums

Former Members/Guests

Herman

guitars/keyboards



Discography


Synthinity  
1997
  1. Sphere's Rhapsody
  2. Calm, Precious, Mad
  3. Eschatological
  4. Ephemerae
  5. Sansara
  6. Synthinity
  7. Living Structures
  8. These Fires Through ...
  9. Fairy
  10. Breathe
  • Sergey
  • Herman
  • Sergey
  • Karlis



Mephisto Lettonica  
2000 Scarlet
  1. Solar
  2. The Spider's Kiss
  3. Whatever That Tempts
  4. Feral Garden
  5. Presentiment
  6. The Human Abstract
  7. Creaturesque
  8. Once Carcass Is Cold ...
  9. Outro
  • Sergey
  • Herman
  • Sergey
  • George
  • Karlis



Splenetic  
2006 Aghast
  1. Intro
  2. The Spectator
  3. Teufelswerk
  4. Ov Snake
  5. The Cosm, The Vacuum, The Wave
  6. Splenetic / Confusion
  7. For Those Beneath Me
  8. Triplicity
  9. Khert Neter
  • Sergey
  • Sergey
  • Sergey
  • George
  • Karlis




Copyright © 1995-2024 BNR Productions