Greezminh – Maturity – 3.5/5
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The debut from an artist best described as an experimental electro/hardcore sound, this is nothing if not unusual. Not your standard electro affair, with more emphasis on tone and atmosphere than on a catchy beat, overlayed with a loud drum machine that actually works pretty well, I was expecting this to get fairly old in a short space of time, yet somehow it didn’t.
The song structure is more rock in style, having defined ‘verse riffs’ which constantly progress as the song’s meander. Often fairly short in length (in fact, so is the album, at only 35 mins) this works to their advantage and keeping things sounding fresh. The drums here aren’t so much used as a base layer as they are for adding another layer. If the drums are consistent, then the electronic sounds will probably be changing before too long, and visa versa. This goes much of the way in differentiating between the more melodic and slower paced sections, with either little or no drums, and a more aggressive tone where the drums stand loud and proud, dominating the track and creating a hard hitting tone.
Vocals are almost non-existant, occurring a total of three times during the course of the album. Once as a short sentence spoken in a female voice in French, again as a slow deep growl, sounding rather akin to a grindcore vocalist growling bubbles through his milkshake, and a third spoken line, this time in English, saying “This is the life we choose, the life we lead, and in this life there is but one guarantee; None of us shall see hell." Implemented rather well, but to call their appearance rare would be an understatement.
The electronic sounds are without a doubt the main focus here doing two jobs; supplying a background atmosphere, mimicking piano and violin sounds, as well as providing an interesting riff. In fact, the tones created are better than I expected, lending a more diverse range of emotions from the depressive classical feel in “Selina’s Claws” to the more frantic “Necrophagia Princess.”
But despite this, it isn’t enough. There are a limited number of truly original sounds that can be produced with a limited repertoire. Many of the songs, whilst good, sound fairly similar to those that came before it. Something else needs to be present, another layer, another way of producing a new tone, something which this piece is desperately in need of. This is an interesting debut, and one that shows promise but simply needs work.
Highlights: Abyssal Massacre, Selina’s Claws, Necrophagia Princess
By T. Bawden
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