There is the Battle of the Bands. This is the battle of the same band. The one in question is Lifeforms from Sacramento, USA. The title of this album is well chosen.
Twanging djent, raging metalcore and long, high, sirening chords signalling impending doom are all thrown together. The model is Periphery, Vildhjarta or Meshuggah. The sound engineer packages it all up, adds in a lot of effects and really should be accredited as a band member. The growling vocals, which are not overused, seem to be part of the scenery and are relegated to the background as the metal war continues. Leaving aside the spooky Burzum-orientated “Interlude” near the end, there are no songs as such on this album. “Reflections II” is the nearest with its structure and hardcore chorus, which is buried behind the controlled metal factory. What I heard was like a series of intros, and no swanky solos but instead a constant heavy assault. This is ear-bashing, bludgeoning metal of a dark and sinister intensity. The drums provide the ammunition and output for the machine-gun fire. Punch is guaranteed, and sometimes, as on “String Theory”, there’s a bit extra. “Coltish polyrhythms, humming bass drops and boisterous breakdowns” are what we’re told to expect. That’s about right.
What’s my impression? “Multidimensional” is good but the substance is the same. It’s like a sandwich without filling. It doesn’t seem to be about anything – the end of the world maybe – and doesn’t need to be, but whilst never mindless it’s repetitive in its form, in spite of its pretensions to be progressive. I did have one laugh: unexpectedly in the middle of “Paradox”, a voice cries “They’re coming for you”. Sounds like paranoia rather than paradox. The overriding impression is of chunky djent of the heaviest kind. Imperious as “Multidimensional” is, it’s short at 31 minutes and came across to me as more of a metal filler or even a demo than a complete work.
(6/10 Andrew Doherty)
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