Long gone are the dark and brooding days of one of post metal’s most evil sounding albums – the masterpiece that was ‘Eternal Kingdom’ is long dead and the band once branded as ‘NeurIsis’ have taken a complete U-turn with their sound.
2012 release ‘Vertikal’ saw the Swedes incorporate heavy electronics into their music with dustings of dubstep – a risky choice, but one that worked marvellously for their live shows (albeit disappointingly on record). The progression, if one would be so bold as to call it that, in the band’s sound gained as many new fans as it lost loyal ones and their most recent EP release sees an extension of the computer generated noise put forth on its predecessor.
A collection of four songs that didn’t quite make the cut the first time round, there isn’t a single discernible riff to be had as atmospheric effects and computer generated beats and sounds take over. Each track is slow building and the vocals take an odd back seat with even the screams sounding quieter than usual.
The last song is a remix of ‘Vicarious Redemption’ produced by Justin K. Broadrick (Jesu) – this is without a doubt the highlight of this EP; much more streamlined than the original, it halves it in length and makes it bearable to listen to. Essentially, this EP is a must have if you enjoyed ‘Vertikal’ – however, for those not in sync with the ‘wubwubwub’ this is better if avoided at all costs, or just skip to the closing song and forget the rest.
(6/10 Angela Davey)
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