Augury sounds like Cynic if Steve Tucker and Trey Azagthoth joined during "Focus" and then cranked the brutality up to shearing levels. The atmospheric beginning of "Beatus" soon explodes into an ethereal juxtaposition of blast beats and razor-sharp riffs upholding guttural growls which tag in operatic female vocals and bizarre musical sequences until the outlandish manifesto turns over. "Concealed" stays in this confusing aura of awesomeness from this point on, never allowing the listener to predict just what the band will churn out next. The riffs overload on technical notes that somehow incorporate a theme of melody and catchiness, making the listen even more compelling than what the shores of hindsight provided. "Becoming God" and "...As Sea Devours Land" are my favorite tracks, both of which boil over with sensational riffs and unusual sequences which define progressive death metal through and through.

"Skyless" and "Faith Puppeteers," two bonus tracks featured on the reissue of "Concealed," appeal to me more than most of the album, ironically. The riffs are buzzing with progressive color and leave a very powerful impression overall, but that isn't to imply the rest of "Concealed" lacks beef. The record naturally became more interesting the more I listened to "Concealed," not that the album was boring at first; it just took a little time to truly digest the angular obscurity. Powerful, perplexing metal overflowing into multiple extremes is the final word throughout Augury's debut, and it really isn't something to be missed if you enjoy Cynic, Atheist, or other progressive death metal groups. I don't think Augury is the magnum opus of this sub-genre, yet I'm still quite enthused regarding their exciting dictatorship over musical consciousness.