A Perfect Life with a View of the Swamp,
Miocene‘Miocene?!’ I exclaimed when I saw this promo album poking its way through my review pile; ‘ain’t they one of them Nu-Metal bands from a few years ago?’ Y’know, one of Kerrang’s darlings who never quite made it and drifted off into obscurity; quite literally in this case? Well yes, they were, but they’re back. It feels a bit strange reviewing this and no doubt I’ll get shot down by the Punk Police for defying thy holy genre by reviewing it, but fuck it.
I never really became acquainted with this band’s previous material so un/fortunately I won’t be able to make any comparisons with it or say whether a massive progression has occurred. However, I can say that what MIOCENE have come up with for their debut full length is certainly heavily textured and rather adventurous, but often at the expense of becoming self indulgent and, at times, excessively pretentious.
When the opener ‘A Message From Our Sponsors’ drops in a RATM like manner things were sounding promising, even the D&B loops in ‘Colloquial Drug Terminology’ added an unexpected but quite effective twist until I realised it was the focal point of the track which later tails off into instrumentalised nothingness. Unfortunately this is a trend which is often repeated throughout the mammoth hour-long album and just seems to act as a barrage of filler which is just not needed. Call it art or experimentation if you will, it just all seems rather pointless when it leaves no lasting impression.
The highlights of the album are clearly the more industrial/hardcore moments which are reminiscent of ONE MINUTE SILENCE or PITCHSHIFTER, for example ‘Autopia’ and ‘Dionysus’. ‘The Fall’ is one of several epics clocking it at over eight minutes, it fuses metal riffs with a hardcore energy and aggression whilst keeping the arty prog moments restrained and in place; it all certainly provides a very dynamic effort as it writhes between riffs and loops.
My problem with this album is the amount of randomness and pretension. ‘Apologetic Submissions’ is just seven minutes and thirty two seconds of false hope offering nothing solid than perhaps a psychosis trigger. Proceedings finish with an acoustic number just to tip you over the edge, assuming you make it that far. This album my provide a headfuck on par with a SYD BARRET/PINK FLOYD acid experiment only a lot more pissed off and if that’s what floats your boat then this could be a right treat. For anyone else; approach with caution.
-Mike
www.miocene.org
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