source	creator	size
babylon	stephano gaspari	8.5

 

 

 

does the word crossover, with the significance of "styles crossing", make still sense today? it doesn't for new metal (with which gets often confused), not even for most of major releases... but there are, fortunately, some exceptions.  these have the toughest 40 minutes of the last years: experimentations at their pure state!

 

"cellular memory" is not an easy listening album, otherwise, it requires a huge effort; but if you'll be patient, it's gonna be up to miocene to guide you to places where you haven't been yet, where "material" counts zero, where the mental impact dominates, winning over the sonic one, and everything just floates in the air, with a sense of uncomfortable and sick atmospheres.

 

right, because if tool still keep the supremacy, miocene hit on the same keys, making everything bigger with electronic parts, which directly remind of the best djs from London (ever heard of squarepusher?), making the songs longer, less catchy (and if already maynard's band isn't catchy, you can imagine how miocene sound), harder and more difficult.

 

with the previous mini "refining the theory" (from 2000) and with cool shows, they've gained the appreciation from crowd and specialized press too, with their intelligent nu metal. but labels and definitions don't fit too well with miocene and with this new album (well, actually it's considered a mini, because it features intro, plus 5 songs, but forty minutes of minutes can be considered an album in my opinion) the horizons of miocene get wider and wider, avoiding any known definition.

 

after an intro which is basically a meditation in music, they kick in with "katie sierra", a song so atmospheric that makes us travel over and over, as an hallucinogen effect, provoking brain damages, which will hopefully get "fixed". no vocals, but only dilatated sounds, oriental, psychedelic. the beautiful vocals arrive only with the third track, "state sf flux", right in between of the more mental tool and the latest earthtone9, but far from the firsts explosion and from the impact of the seconds.

 

the main ideas are truly deep, so deep that, in only six tracks, "cellular memory" lasts for 40 minutes, but the huge length of the songs is not a problem, you won't even realize the time passing by... it could even be one, long, extended song, loyal partner of this deep trip you're about to begin.

 

in "tradition is just another word for the collective habit", once again an instrumental song, they experiment and prove to be some virtuous musicians in the electronic side, finding a spot for a tremendous sax too. now the listener have had enough already, the price of the cd is worthed already, the intensity of the emotions and the kick of the mental reactions have destroyed us already... but ben edwards comes back singing in "the harpie and the preacher", fifth composition of this impressive release... and all we can do is just following this amazing band in its path, always requiring deep efforts, always obsessive and psychdelic 'til the bottom.

 

the jazz influence, as musical philosophy, is perceivable during the whole album, but it's strong especially in the last song, "why metal sucks in 2002", with which ends an opera that is something more than simply "a good album". let's say that if the next tool album will sound like miocene, i won't be impressed...

 

don't consider them just as one of the tons of upcoming bands from the underground, 'cuz they're gonna be huge: don't undervalue them! miocene are just in the beginning of their carerr, but they're already so mature, so deep, so cool, unrational, awesome! after dredg, another amazing band... the metal borders gets larger and larger. great substitutes of any mind-alterating substance: simply huge!