There was a time where technical proficiency was all a band would need to standout amongst the sea of clones. Once prog became infused with a variety of scenes aside from metal, many aggressive acts faded, driving a dominant few into the light that blended an assortment of genres. Polyphia seem to have sustained their run due to their strong songwriting and jazz infused approach to spastic gentle classic delivery.
Where ten years ago we would only have The Dillinger Escape Plan to deliver this type of execution (very marginally amongst a sea of chaos at that), Polyphia have made an entire sound out of those jazzy moments, where a little air was made available, before tumbling back down into a vast ocean of madness. While those parts of the songs, when sandwiched in between ultra-violent hardcore and blasting speed metal, make for cool, creative breaks that make a band stand out, Polyphia’s hold of this elements and and lack of deviation from it gets a little tiring. What’s also unfortunate is that as the record progresses, every song is highly reminiscent of the last. Without a vocal performance, the auditory experience seems droning, especially when the whole record just sounds like one big jazzy-flare song.
No comments
Post a Comment