Thee Maldoror Kollective
Pilot (Man With the Meat Machine)
A seeming resurgence of praise worthy avant-garde metal during 2008, although being much appreciated, leaves a yearning for purveyors of Post Metal. Italian band TMK began by emulating their True Black Metal fore fathers only to experiment and finally go beyond their metal heritage (Metamorphosing in a manner akin to Ulver or Manes). Previously classifiable as a metal industrial band on New Viral Order, with A Clockwork Highway they quite quickly shifted into a band that has a penchant for movies rather than the mosh pit. Not to say this is not a rock album; admittedly it is far from continuous, but there are passages which remind the listener that these boys play rock. The rock kicks in with rolling drums and almost stadium guitar sensibilities. But this is far from straight up and is never lasting or over bearing.
More striking is the cinematic kaleidoscope which ensues, laden with avant-garde jazz tempo changes and unpredictable and stylistic deviations. Pilot is as much an Industrial electronic album as anything else; an album full of programmed effects changing direction and atmosphere throughout. In fact on tracks like Zombie Children Do Synthetic Dreams it sounds almost as though Bill Laswell had laid down the sumptuous electronic groove. Movie references abound throughout the 50mins, both as samples and as a feeling of flicking randomly from B-Movie to B-Movie. A slick production defuses some of the more extreme metal moments making them hugely palatable and more in keeping with the heady electronic broth throughout. It is this balance, which so many experimental artists fail to achieve, TMK have so comfortably nailed. The meandering journey never feels contrived, with each musical twist contributing skilfully to the eclectic whole.
“Initiating shut down sequence”
More striking is the cinematic kaleidoscope which ensues, laden with avant-garde jazz tempo changes and unpredictable and stylistic deviations. Pilot is as much an Industrial electronic album as anything else; an album full of programmed effects changing direction and atmosphere throughout. In fact on tracks like Zombie Children Do Synthetic Dreams it sounds almost as though Bill Laswell had laid down the sumptuous electronic groove. Movie references abound throughout the 50mins, both as samples and as a feeling of flicking randomly from B-Movie to B-Movie. A slick production defuses some of the more extreme metal moments making them hugely palatable and more in keeping with the heady electronic broth throughout. It is this balance, which so many experimental artists fail to achieve, TMK have so comfortably nailed. The meandering journey never feels contrived, with each musical twist contributing skilfully to the eclectic whole.
“Initiating shut down sequence”
I have had a month to reflect and this maybe the best album I have heard so far this year. Thanks Dan.
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