Meshuggah - Immutable (Atomic Fire Records)
Meshuggah are a machine, the songs on this record are full of the mechanical rhythms and a heaviness that could level cites, but also Immutable sees the band adapting their style, picking from industrial, post-metal and even ambient bands, relying much more heavily on atmospheric instrumentals than Jen Kidman's vocals, though they are still conjure lots of gurning. The band apparently approached this album with as few restraints as possible and it shows, although of course they have always been a forward thinking band. However it seems that with such a long time between albums they have managed to experiment a little bit more and in different ways.
That Abysmal Eye is classic Meshuggah, jammed to the gunnels with the that style that inspired an entire genre, it's progressive, polyrhythmic and features a mind-melting syncopated lead break however in opposition to the more esoteric opener Broken Cog which features whispers and the industrial twinge of bands like Fear Factory, Ligature Marks is much more technical, but also in some ways more direct, using some distinct one note, building atop the relentless rhythm section, while the final song Past Tense is brooding, dark finale.
Those added elements come on They Move Below, an 8 minute, instrumental offering, building from auspicious beginnings for an impressive feat. At 13 songs Immutable is a weighty record that may put off the casual listener, but for anyone who loves the progressive experience of Meshuggah Immutable is another mind melting stop on their groundbreaking musical journey. 9/10
Any band that features Amenra guitarist Mathieu J. Vandekerckhove, Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly, Amenra vocalist/bassist Colin H. Van Eeckhout and Iggor Cavalera on drums, you know is going to hit hard and probably mean that if you listen to it, you'll probably not be able do much without having an existential crisis.
Plague Of God is a nihilistic vision of the world, conceived by some of the post-metal/sludge royalty and delivered with as much fuzz, feedback and ominous noise as possible. Rise In Ruins, the first offering on this album, has already been used as the theme for 'The House Of Black' in AEW, is both indicative and in some ways isn't at all of what this record offers. It's a sprawling, crushing, despair ridden piece with a low end that hits the subsonic and vocals that range from unsettling whispers to manic screams. This sense of unease and foreboding pressure continues as the record slams you with one gargantuan sludge riff after another, pausing only for yet more creepy atmospherics. The heaviness increases on In Spirit In Spite, crushing industrial grind give way to throbbing spectral clean guitars distorted rhythms and spoken word elements, which strangely is more potent in being emotive.
Plague Of God is 6 songs but when they are all despair ridden lumps of white hot rage then any more than the 35 minutes of anguish. The industrial percussion on Sarin some may say is understated playing from Cavalera but it still hits home, while his tribal-like beginnings can be heard on The Acres/The Ache, he's often beneath a bass sound from Eeckhout that sounds deliberately blown out and ghostly and twin guitars from Vandekerckhove and Kelly that resonate with heavily distorted riffs and lingering single note harmonics. Engulfing you totally in hopelessness the crushing The Half Rising Man closes things out without any feeling of redemption or catharsis. After Plague Of God you'll want to lay down in a dark room and contemplate existence and that's precisely what Absent In Body want you to do. 9/10
Pattern Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through (Inside Out Music)
A band that can be considered to be a Spock's Beard off-shoot, Pattern Seeking Animals return with their third studio album. Still featuring the talents of (Spock's Beard/Enchant) vocalist/guitarist Ted Leonard along with Jimmy Keegan on drums/vocals (ex- Spock's Beard), Dave Meros on bass (Spock's Beard) and songwriter/producer/keyboardist John Boegehold (ex-Spock's Beard). So like with their previous two records there's going to be a hell of a lot Spock's Beard, Genesis, Yes and 70's prog rock influences that come through on Only Passing Through.
Pattern Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through (Inside Out Music)
A band that can be considered to be a Spock's Beard off-shoot, Pattern Seeking Animals return with their third studio album. Still featuring the talents of (Spock's Beard/Enchant) vocalist/guitarist Ted Leonard along with Jimmy Keegan on drums/vocals (ex- Spock's Beard), Dave Meros on bass (Spock's Beard) and songwriter/producer/keyboardist John Boegehold (ex-Spock's Beard). So like with their previous two records there's going to be a hell of a lot Spock's Beard, Genesis, Yes and 70's prog rock influences that come through on Only Passing Through.
I Can't Stay Here Anymore is very indicative of their sound, bright breezy rhythms, drenched in synths, with time changes throughout and glorious harmony vocals from Leonard and Keegan like the ones that many will recognise from Gabriel/Collins or Morse/D'Virgilio. It's the most Spock's Beard/Genesis sounding track on the record, then followed by the mammoth Time Has A Way, a labyrinthine 10+ minute progger that uses every prog trick in the play book for full Yes vibes, including percussion and some horns too, and that's just in the first four minutes.
If this wasn't a 10 track record I'd say that Time Has A Way would be the centerpiece but this is prog so band third track in followed by the nostalgic, whimsical Rock Paper Scissors as they changes styles multiple times from the dramatic, synthy Said The Stranger and more Yesisms come on Here With You With Me. Sticking to a familiar template Pattern Seeking Animals, have certainly found their musical pattern on this third studio record in as many years. Classic prog rock sounds updated for the modern ear. 7/10
Gen And The Degenerates - Only Alive When In Motion EP (Marshall Records)
Only Alive When In Motion is the debut EP from alternative rockers Gen And The Degenerates. Fronted by vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves aka Gen, it's her excellent, irreverent, snotty, soulful vocals that take pride of place as the focal point of the band, with odes to Florence & The Machine, Gossip, Skunk Anansie (who they will be on tour with this year) and the unhinged energy of bands like PiL and Turbowolf.
The lyrics of this EP draw heavily from Gen's past experiences with past/abusive/traumatic relationships on Crying War, her "origin story as a bi-sexual supervillian" on the shout along Wild Thing a clarion call to do you, no matter what others think. There's a huge amount of empowerment in her lyrics, built around breezy, hard rocking instrumentals. The funky Adore Me deals with mental illness, while it's Girl, God, Gun for me is the best song on the record, a 'proper' hard rock track, stacked on Evan Reeves' drumbeat, that apparently got them signed in the first place.
It's obvious that someone over at Marshall Records has taste as Only Alive When In Motion is that rare breed of EP that captures what a band do brilliantly, leaving you wanting more. AC/DC-like riff on Burn Your Pedestal anchored by the thrusting bass lick from Jay Humphreys and distorted stabs from Sean Healand-Stone and Jacob Stones, Crying Wat meanwhile is bluesy opener that sets a slow anthemic burn for the album. Crafted for their incendiary live show with lots of call and response. An impressive EP, I suggest you get down early if you're attending any of those Skunk Anansie shows. 8/10