The End Records is quickly become THE record label for all the latest cutting edge sounds on the worlds of metal and progressive rock, specifically the "fringe" sub-genres that fall between the two. Case in point, the debut from Head Control System, Murder Nature. While the name of this project probably won't ring any bells with anyone, the members certainly will, namely Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (Ulver, ex-Borknager & Arcturus) and Daniel Cardoso (ex-Sirius, Re: aktor). Before you predict that Murder Nature might be some sort of avant-garde, progressive, black-metal hybrid, guess again. The CD is heavy, not necessarily metal at all times, certainly progressive with touches of avant-garde experimentation, but more than anything it's a great modern rock record.
Touches of Tool and certainly Korn can be heard on the raging and pulsating "Masterpiece (Of Art)", complete with Garm's wacked out vocalizations and plenty of angst ridden guitar work. Layers of angular guitar lines and piano permeate the moody and atmospheric "Blunt Instrumental", a song that will easily appeal to fans of Ulver's more recent material. If you like the more mainstream yet heavy stoner/doom sounds of bands like Queens of the Stone Age or Alice in Chains, you'll love the track "Baby Blue", which, despite its heaviness, has radio written all over it and is catchy as hell. Another song in a similar style is "Watergate", a great melodic rocker with intricate drums and plenty of trippy guitar patterns, not too forgot the wonderful vocal hooks. The duo go into almost Dream Theater-like territory on the sledgehammer prog-metal "Wonderworld", a song that is littered with an assortment of complex guitar riffery and gymnastic rhythms.
Most will probably not expect just how good this CD is, let alone how different it is from anything Garm has recorded before. It will be interesting to see if the duo decide to take this project one step further and make a regular full-band out of it. An impressive debut.
Track Listing
1. Baby Blue
2. Skin Flick
3. Masterpiece (Of Art)
4. Blunt Instrumental
5. It Hurts
6. Watergate
7. Seven
8. Kill Me
9. Wonderworld
10. Rapid Eye Movement
11. Falling On Sleep
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
