The Apparatus

 Wednesday, 28 November 2007 When a band changes their sound, there are many reasons to consider. Is it personal, physical, political, or aesthetic reasons? Do they take into consideration their fan base when accounting for the change? Are they doing it for the art in the end?

The End, a Canadian metal band that has been around for some time, has released two albums of astonishing musical accomplishment. Their first release, 'Transfer Trachea...,' was a quite unique and fascinating glimpse into what a band with completely new ideas of composition and tone can do in the small 'tech metal' genre. The band achieved good underground success but didn't break into the public eye until the release of their second album on Relapse Records called 'Within Dividia.'

Different in outward complexity, 'Within Dividia' is complicated in another way: atmosphere. Normally, music relying solely on atmosphere and not as much on composition has bothered me. 'Within Dividia' has crossed the threshold as to what 'tech metal' meant. The album is a musically complete masterpiece of technicality and mood, a record that was as subtle as it was bombastic.

Flash forward a couple years. The End has another album coming. One would assume that the musical ideas, such as the band's personalized sense of organic disharmony, would be in full blast here. The first few seconds of 'Elementary' reveal something different. Not nearly as apocalyptic-sounding as 'Within Dividia,' as well as sporting a much cleaner mix, "Dangerous" is a step towards new sound and new musical intent. For starters, there are fewer changes in the playing of all the instruments. The songs are less heavy and devastating, more straightforward even, and there is even another previously-unseen element: clean singing.

Given The End's musical track record, this is an anomaly. Perhaps the following tracks would give way to more of the signature The End style. No such luck. "The Never Aftermath" is the perfect example of the new sound: traditional alterna/metal-sounding songs with verse-bridge-chorus structure bolstered by some occasional metal screaming and heaviness. Much of this album could be played on mainstream heavy rock radio with lots of fanfare and attention. Thematically and musically, 'Elementary' is a complete album. Not nearly has black-sounding as their previous efforts, this new release is softer, more delicate and certainly streamlined; not angry, threatening and original-sounding.

The End is utilizing a style that has been around for quite some time: clean vocals with metal riffs. The jumping from clean to scream is not an original idea. The style is quite popular with many people who appreciate a straightforward listen. Given that this style is coming from The End, who made their impact with two highly regarded albums in a fringe-but-burgeoning genre of extreme music, one can only wonder their reasoning.

This will be both alarming to previous fans as well as new listeners. There is no doubt that this album will solidify the band's future. This album will lose fewer fans than it will gain new ones. The End's sense of composure is still present, but the uniqueness that set them apart from the other bands that flood stores like FYE, Best Buy and even Myspace is nil.

There is one thing The End does with 'Elementary:' make the music they want to make. In the intention of continuing to create the music they care so much about, The End has succeeded. In regards to the fans that helped make them recognized in the first place, many will feel left out and abandoned. There is very little that connects the very aspect that made them who they are in the first place with the new entity they have now become.

 Wednesday, 28 November 2007 Those evil Canadians return with a follow-up record that's even doomier than the one previously offered. 'Within Dividia' is an album that took a while for me to get into, but when I finally did, it was well worth the extra listens. The new vocalist, Aaron Wolff, is on a higher register than the previous one, but that's not so bad. He has a bit more range and is rather clear and menacing at times. I heard a rumor that he had a cold during the recording of this record which ended up hampering the performance a bit. Not that it matters; he does a very good job considering.

As I stated in my review for their previous release, The End goes for atmosphere rather than sheer insane tech. Gone are the bombastic guitar and bass lines of the previous release. This album is much appreciated, as it is a tad subtler and musically complete than the previous one. Tonally and lyrically, this is a concept album of a creepy, dilapidated house. The real house, featured on the cover art, inspired the band to create disturbing fiction for this record. I won't spoil any surprises, but the lyrics are a high point. 'Within Dividia' is not a happy album.

It really is necessary to listen to 'Within Dividia' in one sitting. The album starts off a bit weak with the highly straightforward "These Walls" before getting to the good with "Fetesque." It's a rewarding transition from the aforementioned atmosphere-builder to a more chaotic and dissonant ride. There are some mighty cool guitar licks and precision drum work here, with the bass really popping out in "Organelle (In She We Lust)." This is an instance when an album gets better as it progresses. The two instrumental tracks, served as transitional 'chapters,' very much add to the intent of the record. They are layered, memorable and necessary to the true completion of this album. The final track "Of Fist And Flame" is a marvel. Guitar tone is noticeably deeper, thicker and even more evil than when the album began. 'Within Dividia' really spirals into complete hell by the end of its brief thirty-three minute duration.

There are not any overly poor parts to this CD, but a lot of tracks tend to blur together at certain points. The graphic design of the CD, though synchronized perfectly with the tone of the subject matter, is a tad generic. It features seen-it-before cursive writing for the text and is housed in a paper digi-pack. These things shouldn't stop fans from picking this great record up. It's the band's crowning work. This is atmospheric tech metal that doesn't skimp on delivering the goods.

 Wednesday, 28 November 2007 This is a really amazing album. Not only does the band channel the 1970's RIO/Canterbury insanity of both Henry Cow/Art Bears and Gentle Giant, they do it with an impressive array of instruments including a female vocalist. Any progressive act featuring a female vocalist is positively refreshing and welcome. Deborah Perry has a wispy, ghostly quality and given that the music is unsettling stuff in the first place, it only makes the overall product even better.

Most of the album is in minor key, just like the aforementioned legends of prog rock before them. Every few bars have a sour, percussive concoction that repels and attracts curious music fans. Those who are easily turned off by strange-sounding music can put this album down. Adventurous music aficionados with an ear for a different kind of beauty can find a ton of good stuff to dig here. Use of the violin, harmonium, accordion, saxes, Mellotron, banjo, wind instruments, and seemingly every thing in between paints a most vivid picture that even the most discriminating music fan can get some enlightenment out of.

The band is from Colorado and it had been nine years in between this album and their previous one. It's sort of their 'comeback' record, as it were. It must have been the air or the really good chronic out there that caused this album to come into being. This is some of the most dissonant music that is also highly moody, complicated, classically orchestrated and arranged. The orchestrations of Schoenberg and Saint-Sans come to my mind because of the heavy, percussive feel.

My personal favorite tracks are three and four. They are two instrumental mini-epics that are as thick as the atmosphere the album cover tells at. At twenty-two minutes, combined, it makes up for over a third of the record. The final track, "Kingdom Come," is another huge epic that closes the record out with some of the best Mellotron work this side of King Crimson. High praise, yes, but it is well-warranted. This album is a must have for progressive music fans. Give this underrated band a listen and you might be converted.

 Wednesday, 28 November 2007 The earlier release by German technical deathgrinders is noticeably more straightforward deathcore mixed with metalcore. It's not cheesy, don't get me wrong. Compared to the newer, self-titled EP, this seems like a different band altogether! There are plenty more breakdowns and hardcore stylings present on this longer, less original release. Fans of Despised Icon or early The Red Chord will dig this. The production is very raw and it lends itself to the material well.

"Deathwish," the longest track on the album, is the one with the most styles. Starting with a crunchy breakdown, the thing quickly transforms into some chugga-chugs, some brief grinding, some riot shouts, and even some old school thrash parts in the final couple minutes. "Like Salt In A Flesh Wound" has a beginning part that sounds like the instrumental stuff found on the newer album, which is cool to hear. Post hardcore is kind of over its zenith in the US, but I'd imagine in Europe, and beyond, it is fresh. It's cool to see bands use this sound to their own advantage. The album closer even has a quiet, jazzy, pseudo-Dillinger guitar plucking near the end, signaling that the band's influences run deep.

Overall, the record is more brutal and straightforward than its predecessor. One can put it on and swing their head at a party or in the car or something. The problem lies in the fact that it's not overly groundbreaking. It's all good; it's just not as good, nor representative, of their newer sound. For fans, this is a good album but not essential. Watch out for this band.

 Wednesday, 28 November 2007 German technical deathcore! This is a treat, because the band e-mailed us out of the blue and was very enthused about getting a spot on our site. When I listened to their newer material, I thought about how unfortunate that I hadn't heard of this band before! Anyone who likes death metal, grind or everything in between will dig this brief release. What is so cool about this act is the vocals. While the 'brees' are aplenty, the vocalist has some range and is seriously pissed off. He even does some talk-to-a-scream stuff, and I eat that up. Guitar work and drum work are similarly frenzied. I can't think of a better onomatopoeia when 'shredding' is applied to guitar.

Songs are succinct and to the point. They are ambitious in their construct. The first track is very destructive! It's only 1:45, and the entire time it's either death riffing, chunky bits or what-have-you hardcore parts. I must say that it is my favorite track. The other tracks are very good as well but lean more towards post hardcore. That's not a bad thing, but when the first track is so strong, I tend to want more of it. The rest of the record follows suit, however it's not as in a concentrated dose.

Track four has a pretty, dissonant instrumental indie ditty, almost poking fun at screamo, and then some death growls in the first 20 seconds. The next two minutes are some really tasty pseudo-breakdown parts and more atonal riffing. Then, a sort of indie rock sludge passage pops up and continues to 'fade out' the previous aggressive, chaotic other three tracks. It's really kind of nice to see a band take a risk adding indie noise to technical deathcore.

Now, this EP is very short. Fifteen minutes is enough to get your point across but I have a feeling this band has more ideas up their sleeves. I wanted more, and not only music, but ideas as well. What is here is very good, though. It just feels like a bigger storm is brewing. They could eschew the hardcore influences and focus more on the instrumental parts and the insanity and come out one of the premier examples of their genre. Great work, guys.

You can download this EP for free. Visit their Myspace page for more information.