HyperCyberNintendoCore?
Det er længe siden, at jeg er blevet blæst så meget bagover, som da jeg hørte Genghis Trons første single, ”Dream Weapon”. Omend det også var en påmindelse om, at den eksperimenterende kvartet ikke hviler på laurbærrene, når det kommer til at udvide deres musikalske horisonter. Det er 13 år siden, de udgav deres skelsættende album Board Up The House, hvor kvartetten virkelig fik defineret lyden af Genghis Tron. Selve lyden på Board Up The House er svær at beskrive og kan bedst rammesættes som en galeanstalt, der tangerer det skizofrene med deres ustyrlige temposkift og alverdens træk fra ekstremmetallen. Spørgsmålet er så, hvordan man 13 år senere samler op på et album, der har opnået kultstatus blandt mange fans, og om det kan leve op til de forventninger, der rejser sig efter en så lang pause.
Systematisk kaos
Denne gang virker det til, at galeanstalten har fået udskiftet metamfetaminen med et solidt skud morfin, og det er der kommet albummet Dream Weapon ud af. Det er på én og samme tid et helt andet udtryk og stilistisk skifte, som bandet har udviklet sig imod, men de kredser stadig om nogle af de tendenser, der var på de foregående album. Det virker som en naturlig progression for bandet, der søger nye veje for deres musikalske optagethed. Andre bands ville måske bruge ét eller flere album på at implementere flere elementer, men Genghis Tron har brugt deres 13 år lange pause til at gøre det hele på én og samme gang.
For det første er det sporadiske kaos lagt på hylden, og musikken får lov til at flyde meget mere. De dyrker deres transcenderende passager, der får lov til at bygge op og udvikle sig. Vi så glimt af det på Board Up The House, blandt andet den hypnotiserende outro på ”Relief”, men denne gang er det virkelig dét, som bandet satser på. Det er stadig mørkt, tungt og eksperimenterende, men det kredser mere om det rockede, elektroniske og det støjende fremfor det metalliske og uforudsigelige, og det fungerer bare uovertruffet.
Drømmevåbnet fyres af med den stemningsskabende intro ”Exit Perfect Mind”, der leder hen i ”Pyrocene”, som smager lidt af Nine Inch Nails med de elektroniske synthesizers og fabrikerede trommer. Det hele bindes sammen af underspillede støjende guitartemaer og en dobbelttracket vokal af den nye frontmand Tony Wolski (The Armed), der gør oplevelsen både hypnotiserende og utrolig intens. Det er anderledes, men også afsindigt medrivende.
På ”Dream Weapon” virker det mere genkendeligt, når nyerhvervede Nick Yacyshyn bag trommerne slår hele det systematiske kaos i gang. Trommerne sættes febrilsk i gang lige på og hårdt, og vildskaben tilføres af tunge guitarer og psykedeliske synthesizers, der med sin intense og opløftende melodi holder spændingen fra start til slut. Det er simpelthen vildt, hvordan nummeret både kan føles så energisk og forstyrrende, samtidig med at det er afslappende og dragende. Det er i øvrigt også eneste nummer, hvor man får en snert af den scream-vokal, der var så kendetegnende for dem før i tiden.
Og det er godt og vel temaet, der følger hele vejen igennem på Dream Weapon. Det er syret, psykedelisk og markant anderledes end den Genghis Tron-lyd, de forlod i 2010. Numrene er lange, og de satser fuldt ud på de opslugende passager, der leveres med så stor overbevisning, at det er svært ikke at tage med på denne rejse. Albummets sidste nummer, ”Great Mother”, bygger konstant op og forløses af en hård støjende lydmur, der runger af en fusion mellem Nine Inch Nails og My Bloody Valentine med et skud af det velkendte Genghis Tron-vanvid – og det går rent ind.
Drivkraften overgår alt
Dream Weapon føles som et mere modent udspil fra den amerikanske kvartet, der ikke lader sig slå fast på nogen bestemt genre eller noget bestemt udtryk. Det er muligvis også et album, der vil skille vandene, både hvad angår fans og selve nichen, som denne musik er. Genghis Tron har udtalt, at de splittede op, fordi musikken føltes mere som et job end en passion, så hvorfor vende tilbage og lave mere af det samme? Det her album er ikke lavet for at tilfredsstille den snævre fanskare, de har, men for at vende tilbage til den sult, der driver dem. Om man er til det eller ej, så er Dream Weapon et virkelig medrivende, opslugende og kvalitetsproduceret udspil, og jeg synes, at det er et velplaceret pletskud.
HyperCyberNintentoCore?
”Dream Weapon”, the first single from the new album by Genghis Tron, impressed me more than anything else has for a very long time. At the same time, the single was also a reminder that the members of Genghis Tron aren’t afraid of broadening their musical horizons. Thirteen years have gone by since the quartet managed to encapsulate their signature sound on their monumental record Board Up The House. That particular album, though hard to describe, sounds like something that was created at a mental asylum, and can perhaps best be summarized as slightly schizophrenic, due to its frantic tempo changes and many trademark elements from the Extreme Metal genre. But how does a band make a follow-up to an album, which has gone on to achieve cult status among many listeners, and can a follow-up album truly live up to the massive expectations that a thirteen year gap has created?
Systematic Chaos
This time around it seems that the composers at the mental asylum have substituted the use of methamphetamine for a solid dose of morphine, which has resulted in the sound of Dream Weapon. Though still centering around some of the key elements from the previous album, the band has evolved towards an entirely new expression overall. The progression of the band doesn’t seem forced, but seems fitting for a band of musicians who are seeking new ways to express themselves. Whereas other bands might have used one or more albums to gradually implement some new elements into their sound, Genghis Tron have instead chosen to implement a multitude of new ideas all at once.
First off, the sporadic chaos of their previous material has been shelved. The songs, and in particular the more transcendent passages, are allowed to build up and evolve in a more natural way. The band already gave us some glimpses of this approach on Board Up The House. One example that comes to mind is the hypnotizing outro on “Relief”. This time around, however, the musicians have chosen to focus specifically on these particular type of passages. The sound is still dark, heavy and experimental, but the unpredictability and heaviness that one has come to expect from Genghis Tron, has been pushed to the background. Instead, the bulk of the music consists of hard rocking, clamorous and electronic elements, and the result is excellent!
Album opener “Exit Perfect Mind” leads to the track “Pyrocene”, a song that is quite reminiscent of a Nine Inch Nails track with its heavy use of electronic synthesizers and fabricated drums. Everything is tied neatly together by some noisy themes, played on guitar, as well as a layered vocal performance by new frontman Tony Wolski (The Armed), which makes the whole experience hypnotizing and incredibly intense at the same time. The sound is really something else, and it’s also quite captivating.
The drumming of recently recruited Nick Yacyshyn ignites the systematic chaos of the title track, and the drummer’s performance is reminiscent of a more traditional Genghis Tron sound. The drumming is frantic and hard hitting, and savagery is brought aplenty by heavy guitars as well as psychedelic synthesizers that manage to keep the tension throughout the song by utilizing intense and uplifting melodies. The song is energetic and disturbing, whilst at the same time being very relaxing and alluring. This creates a completely unique feel and it’s quite simply amazing! On another note, this track is the only one that contains any screaming vocals, which is a feature that used to be an integral part of the Genghis Tron sound.
And that about sums up the elements that are most frequently found on Dream Weapon. The album is trippy, psychedelic and completely different compared to the sound that the band abandoned in 2010. Lengthy songs as well as some incredibly immersive passages, performed with much conviction, makes it very hard not to want to come along for this crazy ride. The last track of the album, “Great Mother”, builds up throughout the song and culminates in a boisterous wall of sound that comes across somewhat like a fusion between Nine Inch Nails and My Bloody Valentine, with an added dose of the trademark insanity of Genghis Tron – and the result is impeccable!
Motivation beats everything
Dream Weapon feels like a more modern output from the American quartet that refuses to be restricted to any specific genre or expression. At the same time, it is also an album that might generate some very mixed responses. The band has previously stated that they split up because their activities started to feel more like a day job than a passion. The band’s return would thus be a pointless endeavor, if the purpose solely was to continue in the same direction as before. Therefore, this album clearly wasn’t made to satisfy the band’s already existing fan base, but instead in an attempt to return to that underlying impulse that drives musicians to create. Whether one likes this album or not, it can’t be denied that Dream Weapon certainly is a captivating and immersive album with a great production, and personally I think that the band hit a bull’s-eye.