Transmission0 - 0 (Go-Kart Records)
In a pregnant genre that is on the verge of being saturated with
copycats, clones, and panderers, we see a band break away from
the pack. That genre is atmospheric metal, and that band is a
5-piece from Holland called Transmission0. To their dismay, they
are easily comparable to Cult of Luna, Neurosis, Callisto, and
Isis, but they have, however, chiseled and honed a sound all their
own, and taken a baseball bat to their confining little box. By
implementing more straight forward hardcore moments, and using an
unorthodox singing style, Transmission0 sets themselves apart from
most bands of their ilk. They're no carbon copy, and have taken
a no compromise approach.
There are some moments of the band struggling to define their
own aural destination, such as the noise interludes (which are pretty
well throw-aways), but the strength of tracks such as "Vs. Vampire"
and "The Return" really prove the capability of these Dutchmen.
They're still a diamond in the rough, but they already rip, so
look out when they mature a bit. I'm definately checking out
their second album when it's released. They'll have all the bugs
worked out and hopefully a bigger budget for the utmost quality
recording. Which will be great, because the biggest problem with
this disc is the production. It's not horrible, but it's not excellent
either, and the songs deserve more. The drums just sound slightly off,
too up-front or not spacious enough. On some songs, like
"Journey", I highly suspect that it's actually a drum machine (albeit
well-programmed, if so). Go-kart is a small label though so it's
pardonable that they didn't have the money to throw at an unproven
band's debut album. Apparently it was entirely a DiY effort of the
band to record this monster.
If you need an atmospheric metal/hardcore fix, then this album
comes definately recommended.
Running time: 52:08
Track list:
1) Journey
2) Vs. Vampire
3) San Miguel
4) **
5) The Return
6) U-boot
7) Dust Like Sand
8) Ether
9) Serenity
10) ***