This Estonian metal band plays an industrial take on metal-core and nu-metal. The sung vocals on the opening track sit in the background with the more aggressive vocals being dominant, as the syncopated chugs drive the song. If Fear Factory had been a progressive band, they might have sounded more like this. The riffs bounce around odd time signatures, like djent bands one juggled. The raspy snarl of the vocals retains its command going into the second song, as the drumming takes on a more Slipknotted attack. The song grooves more as a whole. One thing is obvious: their drummer is really good. The songwriting is a tad busy, when grooving more might serve the song more effectively. I can hear the vague traces of Faith No More in their sound as well, though not as diverse sonically.
If you are keeping track at home, the bands I have cited as being the possible influences of this band are all from the 90s. There is a 90s metal thing being done, but it's produced and dressed up in a more modern context. "Out For Blood" has a more jarring motion. It attempts to be a nu-metal groove, but is a little too weird, as it's more angular than even System of a Down, with odd little techno melodies creeping up. There is a much more Meshuggah-like feel to "Darker Tides". The sung vocals are effective, but sit weirdly in the mix. I do appreciate that this feels dark. The more Meshuggahfied touches to the guitar are not impressive to me since I already own Meshuggah's albums and do not need anyone impersonating them.
"DINY" finds more synth-infused sounds becoming dominant, which is a direction I think these guys should pursue further, as it lends to a more melodic backbone in the songwriting. I already mentioned System of a Down in passing, but they are a pretty decent comparison for when this song explodes. "Near Dark" is all explosion, and the vocals are just kind of crooning around it, trying to find where they belong. Melody gets prioritized for "Ruin' and it pays off as it gives the harder, punchy parts something to be dynamically contrasted by. The thump of the bass finally catches my ear on this one. The winding chaos of some of these songs also feels a little Mudvayne.
"Idoldust" is more about the hammering jabs of guitar that bob back and forth. The sung vocals are more of a texture on this one, and they are not as compelling. It is also the first song where I begin to pay attention to the lyrics. "Void Resonance" stomps on the gas when it comes to industrial strength metal, the verses are the most interesting element, as it sounds the most original. The bass line also plays a larger role in this song. They dig into death metal a bit along the way. Yet their more melodic moments are the ones that win me over most. The album closes by taking a more rock n roll approach to this sort of thing, which does include jamming out a groove. I will give this album a 9, it's a great deal of fun and these guys pull it off skillfully.
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