If you’ve ever been collared in the street by one of those market researchers then we should be on the same page here. Some guy with a clipboard invites you into a room, plonks you down on a laptop computer and asks a multitude of questions about your consumer habits. I was always a bit of a sucker for them myself, and the type of questions that always made me giggle were the ones that asked “if Smirnoff vodka was a person, would s/he be…witty/adventurous/free spirited/old fashioned?”
The likelihood of a bottle of Smirnoff warping into a human being is very slim, unless it has been spiked with something much stronger and far less legal, but I digress. The real point I am getting at here is that it seems the easiest way to sum up this album is to metaphorically describe it as a person. Probably your mates mate who you get introduced to down the pub, who, upon first impressions seems a little loud, a lot obnoxious and slightly schizophrenic. He would probably spend the night making wisecracks and generally trying to make himself look cool in front of the ladies, and leave you thinking “God, what a pillock!” But the more time you spend drinking together, the more you realise that he’s actually not that bad. Sure, he has his idiosyncrasies, but these only serve to add character and while he still gets into a few scrapes after one too many beers, this can make for an interesting night.
The thing is, upon first spin I felt as though I had a rather onerous task on my hands reviewing this album, and after six or seven repeated listens, I began to figure out why that was. There seems to be a hell of a lot of conflicting highs, lows, ups and downs and general madness crammed into such a tight space that it simply hits you like a sledgehammer to the head that leaves you thinking “What the hell just happened here?” and protecting your head from any further blows. Then gradually certain elements reveal themselves to you, one at a time being released from the enigmatic shell and you start to realise that actually this is pretty darned good stuff!
‘Let Go’ pummels you with its masculine riffs before all descends into chaos and uproar, soon snapping back into place as the Pantera-esque chuggery takes us left, right left, right into ‘March’ with its militaristic pulse that keeps the sinister army in line before gradually ascending into a fierce maelstrom of thrashing guitars and wild drums. ‘Fine Lines’ brings a certain amount of histrionics into the equation with the power laden vocals that bring to mind Mats Leven, over a backdrop of intensely dark and atmospheric music, while the guitar solos emit a great deal of soulfulness. The vocals are equally as unpredictable, ranging from a nu-metal style rap, to deathly growls and clean singing tones. With a total of thirteen members partaking in this project, this kind of explains its diversity and the band are keen to point out that this is a project rather than a band.
Amanda Somerville lends her sweet vocal tones to tracks like ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Fight or Flight’ where her gentle whispers break up the blistering assault. The stunning ‘Pedestal’ which builds up a great deal of suspense with its gentle melodies that clearly toy with the listener before the sudden feminine but angry burst as she shouts “Hit the Pavement”, leading into a deathly fracas between herself and the harsh growls of one of her male counterparts as the drums bash relentlessly away while the guitars switch from speeding thrash and scything death metal ferocity, while the keyboards add a symphonic element to the mix ephemerally.
The album ends with the Southern rock swagger of ‘Terrorist’ which brings to mind Black Label Society with its soulful vocals, meaty riffs and plenty of groove and melody. This album is heavy from start to end and absolutely worth your attention if you are after something a little bit unusual and interesting but not too far out there.
http://www.myspace.com/sandergommans
http://www.myspace.com/seasonofmist
