Metalcatto
If you’ve been following MER for a while, you might suspect that Willowtip Records has bribed us into submission. But first, no Metal label has that kind of money, and second, they just make good records. What can we do? So, yes, I expect Cognizance to hit harder than a tomahawk missile—oh, too soon? Anyway, In Light and No Shape is supposed to knock us out on our buttholes. Let’s see.
The easiest way to describe In Light, No Shape is this: take classic Anata—if you don’t know Anata, get a life—and make it heavier and especially more technical. The riffing is sharp and tighter than your LP budget this month. Yet the tracks are direct and conceptually simple. Don’t get me wrong, not many bands could actually play this. It’s more that despite all its technical sophistication, the band just wants to offer tracks that will put you on a stretcher from headbanging in no time. The focus is on impact, not on showing off.
I know I’ve already complimented the guitars and indirectly the bass, but the drums and especially the vocals still offer so much personality to this thing. The energy given by everyone in Cognizance is equally intense and merciless. However, I don’t want you to think this is just unmitigated bashing, because the album is pretty clean and refined for the standards of the toilet-gas-station Death Metal that often crosses our desk. The production is clear without being sterile, and the mix lets every instrument breathe. Now it’s time to talk about the things you should be less excited about.
There’s little to complain about here, but maybe I have this strange belief that this band has the capacity to throw us something a bit weirder and riskier. Not that In Light, No Shape is boring—the total opposite—but I do wonder where things could go if these guys took a more Proggy route. “You love ruining things with Prog, Catto.” Maybe, but this blog is run by a Prog nerd, and this is what you get. Otherwise, there’s nothing to rage about. The album does exactly what it sets out to do.
I was surprised by how consistent and unpretentious this release was. In a world of convoluted Metal, it’s nice to hear something striking a balance between accessibility and shred. Also, I know the artwork is meant to depict a king, but doesn’t it look like a degenerate Santa to you? I like that read better. Makes the whole experience slightly more absurd, and that’s never a bad thing. Cognizance delivered. Now please don’t send me hate mail about the tomahawk joke.
Label: Willowtip Records
Release date: May 1st, 2026
Website:
cognizance.bandcamp.com/album/in-light-no-shape
Country: UK
Score: 3.8/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 