The Apparatus

 Tuesday, 27 November 2007 I don't think I've ever heard a more fitting album title. Anomalous' Cognitive Dissonance is 6 songs and 32 minutes. For being so short by the end of the album, feels completed. Nothing more, nothing less was needed. This albums clashing metallic sound takes part of the new wave of forward thinking tech bands and I love it. My favorite track is the title track. Cognitive Dissonance is more or less an Overture for the rest of the other 5 song. It has a little of all their best quirks. Cognitive Dissonance is an instant classic.

You can't talk about this band without stating the obvious Meshuggah influence. Especially the vocals, but by no means is this band a Meshuggah clone. I've never heard a band with such a strong influence and pull it off. This is far more enjoyable than any Meshuggah release. Period. This album offers beautiful ambiance and melodies along side metallic off timed damage. The dirty and heavy guitar tone paired against the artificial drums comes off as a rusty, up-tempo industrial. They get so metallic and mechanic sounding it might as well be the soundtrack to Terminator 4.

One thing humans can not do is play as fast and precise as a computer (obviously). When a band uses their drum machine beyond human speeds, I feel its really taking full advantage of a new forum of instrument. I wouldn't change Anomalous' fake drums to real drums no matter how good Lord Marco can play them. It really adds a certain sound that real drums can't do.

The band also takes full advantage of multiple guitarists. Notes are constantly tossed back and forth. They play extremely fast and when slowed down plays a crushing death metal. All of this and still remaining catchy as hell. This album is fun and serious at the same time. The un-modest sweeping intro to Revelations gave me a smile but shortly dives right back in with sort of symphonic sampling.

I didn't give this a perfect score because I know a band with this attitude and musicianship will could only go forward and become better at their art. This album as a whole is perfect but a band pushing everyones boundaries can always turn around and push their own.

 Tuesday, 27 November 2007 First thing I noticed about this band is their utmost unique and original name. Out of 350 bands with 3 words that start with as, all, dies, beneath and blood... All Shall Perish certain stands out above them. If you can't put time and effort into your band name, what makes me think you'd do that same with your music? Hey guess what? They didn't put any time effort in their music...the name fits. By the second song they are play so many nu metal riffs you'd think its 1998 again. By the way, you forgot to turn your metronome off. Before you start reminiscing, sevendust begins to play a breakdown (again). By this time the hyped guitar playing starts to doodle over these breakdowns. That way when I attempt to watch them play I can blindly be slammed in the back of the head by the most unmannered Hardcore dancers.

I won't deny their drummer's ability to switch drum beats at incredible speeds. His ride work and accents are very good but he's not saving the rest of the band. The generic chord progression in the 5th track was extremely refreshing. I was re-assuremed that the rest of the album is going nowhere and I should have stopped at their fucking name. The gang vocals are the icing on the cake. They sound so disgustingly cut and place. His bree singing is way over used and sounds clashingly. Such a raspy technique over such clean music does seem to work well. I think its better left for goregrind bands and IVEBEENSHOT. The best song on the album is Prisoner of War. I enjoyed its high use of layering and in dabble in epic black metal but by the time the solo starts I'm already bored again. The interlude on the album is your classic metalcore instrumental. While certainly giving Shadow's Fall's "Casting Shade" and Killswitch Engage's "Without a Name" a run for their money it still doesn't get very far.

Just to show you how much I'm willing to listen to this album to show how shitty it is, check the stats.

1. Eradication (1st breakdown 45secs, 2nd breakdown 26 secs, 3rd breakdown 40 secs)

2. Wage Slaves (1st breakdown 30 secs, 2nd breakdown 37 secs, 3rd breakdown 46 secs, 4th breakdown 55 secs)

3. The Day Of Justice (1st breakdown 40 secs, 2nd breakdown 40 secs)

4. There Is No Business To Be Done On A Dead Planet (1st breakdown 20 secs, 2nd breakdown 60 secs, 3rd breakdown 17 secs)

5. Better Living Through Catastrophe (1st breakdown 17 secs, 2nd breakdown 37 secs, 3rd breakdown 25 secs)

6. Prisoner Of War (1st breakdown 15 secs, 2nd breakdown 60 secs) 7. Interlude (none)

8. We Hold These Truths... (1st breakdown 50 secs, 2nd breakdown 40 secs, 3rd breakdown 12 secs)

9. The True Beast (1st breakdown 35 secs, 2nd breakdown 36 secs, 3rd breakdown 66 secs)

10. Promises (1st breakdown 182 secs (the whole fucking song))

11. The Last Relapse (1st breakdown 25 secs, 2nd breakdown 45 secs)

1161 seconds of breakdowns/19.35 minutes of breakdowns in an album that's only 42.3 minutes long. Need I say more? Even if I wasn't dogging breakdowns, the other 22.95 minutes of music isn't that good either. Granted this is a band centered on breakdowns but if they consume half of your album, make them more creative. I'm glad to see Deathcore and Metalcore becoming better at their instruments yet big timers like All Shall Perish are still lagging in unique song writing and forward thinking music. To dumb it down for you; bass drops, brees and breakdowns are played out already and this couldn't be a better example. Obviously All Shall Perish fully embraces the trend, now they need to take it further and change it.

 Tuesday, 27 November 2007 .crrust doesn't seem like a very fitting band name at first but like a "crust" the first listen is just the outer edge to many layers that inevitably lead to a vast and enlightening core. This one song is a subtle, long, epic journey into the chaotic center of a planet and is played by a Russian four piece. "Pain is a Mere Sensation" is a far more poetic kick in the balls than your average American tech band.

When I first heard this song/album it took me the entire 20 minutes to find something special within this band. I waited and waited and waited. I listen to this song in wrong the frame of mind. I was frantic and ADHD ridden and I completely gave up. I didn't like it. There was too many American scene cliches and when on a brink of something cool it safely held back. Thankfully I listen to the song all the way through because there's a reason they kept holding back. They were very slowly building the song up and at the last 3 minutes of the song is the fall and awesome crash to the bottom. It ends with some really angry, blood draining Tech. Holy shit! The climax at the very end of the song made it all click and it all beautifully falls into place. I really don't think you'll get the band's full abilities and ideas unless you patiently and attentively listen. You will understand that this isn't just a really long song with a tech ending but a progressive 20 minute composition with many unpolished, forwarding thinking ideas.

.crrust could be considered "tech lite" by American Psyopus and Behold ..the Arctopus fans but bands like .crrust and their neighbors Equal Minds Theory hold their own. Coming from a country more known from American tech fan for cute lesbians and high quality vodka than good underground music, this was an awesome surprise from .crrust!

 Tuesday, 27 November 2007 Though not their best album. This is their most highly jazz influenced album but at the same is much more secure in their pop single formula. The piano and keyboard playing takes over a lot of the reggae guitar chords. A Saxophone has also been added to several tracks.

Kicking off the album to 2 amazing hit singles "Spirits in the Material World" and "every little thing she does is magic" but immediately after that is a weaker track "invisible sun" and though Hungry for You shows Sting poly-lingual diversity, the song is very repetitive. Demolition Man soon takes over and kicks your ass. Stewart Copeland and a sax couldn't compliment each other any better.

This album makes me very torn. The Police are really good jazz musicians but they are the only ones that play the reggae fusions that they do (Which this album has less of). This album is along ways away from Outlandos d'Amour. Ghost in the Machine has a very good direction of experimenting. The Police and jazz can't go wrong but with playing news things, certain old qualities are lost. The weaker songs don't necessarily sour the album (far from it) but makes the quality of the album a little lacking.

This is a great album and a good Police album but as a follow up to Zenyatta Mondatta... they didn't top themselves.

 Tuesday, 27 November 2007 Disputed as The Police's masterpiece. Zenyatta Mondatta stretches The Police's sound to new territories. This album flows perfectly and has no weak songs. This album also dives deeper into The Police by showing more character of the individual musicians than the whole of the band. Most notably Sting's ability to right amazing pop songs.

I think after the first 2 albums they started having a better and funnier time at making music. By this time they had traveled the world over and seemed to get a insightful perspective on life. Ironic because listening to the whole album is sort of hypnotic like flying on a plane or sailing the ocean. They have this progressive atmosphere, a ton of attitude, and a groovy jazz flow that is just so refreshing yet comforting on the ear. This album can truly be played in any mood, situation or environment.

Though the music is more produced and very up-beat, the lyrics are The Police's most pessimistic and politically infused yet. Which in a sense goes against some of the reggae ideology but brings out more of The Police's witty sense of humor.

Yet another Grammy winning instrumental 'Behind My Camel' ...a weird, progressive, guitar effect ridden song that is eerie and mysterious. Its one of the strangest The Police song yet proves their huge musical diversity.

The drumming is tighter than ever. The drums are so tight yet they play over really laid back music. 'The Other Way of Shopping' is surprising to be as technical, original and legendary as other Tech Metal instrumentals (Textures, Imogen's Puzzle pt 2, Samba Briza, Weekend Sex Change, etc) More proof of Copeland influence on Pennie is this song. Feels to me as a sort of prelude to the idea for 'Weekend Sex Change'.

While The Police explore into a more produced, worldly flavor, they still have most of the essence of early Police which makes this album so great. In other words this is the most 'Police' sounding Police album.