Label: Unsigned
Number of Tracks: 12
Sounds Like: Meshuggah
Key Tracks: Static Motion, Obsolete Zero, Closer than Contact, Acres of Space, On Starless Nights
Favorite Track: Acres of Space
Overall Rating: 9.7/10
Kinetik are a 4-piece tech metal band
hailing from California. They released their first full-length
feature Heavier Elements earlier this year, and it is an
uncompromising combination of complex rhythms, massive riffs and a
sound that is guttural and yet spacious. The sheer rhythmic power of
Heavier Elements grabs your attention, but it's a combination of the
musicianship and that huge sound that really keeps you listening
right till the end of the album.
The sound of this album is thick and
tight and yet vast and spatial, like a tempest in space. It's diverse
and dynamically variant, writhing and fluid, and it gives the
impression that the music is almost alive, feral even. It
incorporates a good mix of stylistic choices, the use of synthesiser
sounds goes a long way to illicit that spatiality that was mentioned
earlier, and there is a Jazzier hint within the structure which
really sets off the rhythmic groove of the album.
Heavier Elements is not an easy album
to listen to if you're looking for something light and frothy and to
be honest I suspect this is rather the point, but if you give it the
time and attention that it deserves then it is something really, face
meltingly excellent.
Key tracks on this album are :
Static Motion:
The opener for the album, it really
sets you up for the experience and really comes out of the blue,
starting off with essentially a huge dynamic shift, within the
opening moments it punches you in the face with everything that is
great about this album.
Obsolete Zero:
Arguably more technical than Static
Motion, although that is debatable. This track lifts into a great
section which highlights some of the more melodic side to Kinetik and
it shows a little of the diversity that encompasses the whole album.
Closer than Contact:
This track is just brutal. It's like
being beaten around the head by a giant metal fist, that is not to
say that it is not excellent – It really is, and it is a really
heavy moment on the album.
Acres of Space:
Honestly, this is my favourite track
on the album. Opening with a killer bass riff, it shows a real
tightness and technicality, even beyond what you would expect for a
band like Kinetik. It just oozes groove and style. It provides a
needed break from the heavier sections of the album, it does however
beef up towards the end before falling back into that excellent bass
groove.
On Starless Nights:
The closer, this track almost feels
like a twin to Static Motion, albeit somewhat up-tempo, it's a
genuine gem with which to top of the album, rounding everything good
about the previous tracks and winding it to a satisfying and complete
close.
In conclusion, Kinetik's Heavier Elements is a sublime mixture of brutish riffs and vast-open sounds woven together by some very technical and proficient playing, providing both complexity and excellence in abundence. As earlier said, it's not necessarily the most easily accessible album, if you're looking for something light and bubbly, this is probably not your album, but if you appreciate the subtleties and complexities of music, I absolutely could not recommend Heavier Elements any more. If you happen to be from around San Francisco, I would also recommend trying to get to see Kinetik live.
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