Blind Equation : "A Funeral in Purgatory"

 Cyber-grind is not a sub-genre I have delved into at any great length, so listening to this album now, I can hear where, in recent years, some bands have crossed over into this. It's like a bedroom electronic version of grindcore if you were wondering. The drum machines and synths are dominant. Although this could sound like an obnoxious joke, you can hear that they are serious about the songwriting. The sung vocals sit back in the mix while the manic screams are the primary focus. If you asked a Gen-Z'er to make a metal album, this is what would come out. It's post-Myspace metal, but you can hear the influence of that era along with things that sound like they are from an anime soundtrack set against the heavier growls and guitar. 

It feels like the end finds the keyboards and video game sounds taking over. There is a trap section in the middle. I am not opposed to what is happening here, though you might think I would be. Production-wise wise it is raw like the first Mindless Self-Indulgence album. I feel like Jimmy Urine has to be somewhat to blame for this musical evolution. "A Funeral' finds things getting too chaotic and losing the song's backbone. "... in Purgatory" has the frantic racing of glitched-out video game sounds in collision. 

I had to give additional listens to figure out where some of these songs were coming from. Strawberry Hospital lends a hand to some of the electronics  and sugary female vocals on "Flashback." It makes some interesting transitions. Even after a few listens to some of these songs, it might be hard to figure out what is happening as chaos reigns."Mourn" is a slower, more electronic-based piece. It sets a decent mood to provide some breathing room from the attack your eardrums have received up to this point. Agonized vocals do make a fun counterpoint. 

The thump of a synth bass leads into "Relinquished Dreams".  There is a Myspace metal element to some of these "grooves". The vocals are more influenced by screamo than grindcore. In many ways, this is like an anime version of screamo. After still, which is just a synth interlude. "Incompleter" closes the album. It starts off with a more deliberate feel set against the synth melody. There is a slight industrial feel to how the verse is set up. When it builds, it does so in a dizzying blur of chaos. The screams anchoring it to the established theme of the song. I will give this album a 9, as it shows there is a great deal of promise for the genre, when songwriting is given emphasis. 

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