|
By JEFF MAKI
Chaos--Noise--Disorder: New Hampshire-based The_Network pound the listener with these elements for an average of two and a half minutes at a time. A typical The_Network song explodes from the get-go in hardcore style, then slams you with a couple of mosh-heavy breakdowns, before some sort of manic ending. It's over just in time and you're not really sure what the hell hit you. The band's base structure is hardcore, but there's plenty more ordered chaos going on here. The_Network, whose main influences include Every Time I Die and Bloodlet, keep things at a mostly manic pace, while incorporating a few oddball time signatures. The key here is that The_Network keep it short and tight, not giving the listener enough time to get lost within 20 different ideas over the course of four and a half minutes. For me, not a fan of most noisecore or experimental metal, this is a welcome surprise.
“Faith in Lust”'s noise-fused hardcore introduces the listener to an exciting, innovative recording. An acoustic piece during the second half of “Innocent Vs State” explodes into “Prison Letters,” the hardcore-metal continuation of the previous song, with the core chant of “What if we never wake up/never wake up/never see the sun again!” Lead vocalist Scott White is your typical growler, barking his lyrics of love, hate, fear and overall world awareness. His performance is strong. Backing vocals by guitarist Pete Marr and bassist Nate Johnson bring Daron Malakian of System of a Down to mind. Saying that, I suppose a faint comparison can be made to early SOAD material. “Dead Like Me” features an evil Sabbath riff, while songs like “Bright Lights, Big City ” and “Pig's Portrait” are hardcore-experimental hybrids. The latter half of the album tails off somewhat and things start to blend with one another. Material along the lines of the hardcore “Prison Letters” suits the band better.
That being said, The_Network is one of the better noise or experimental metal bands to emerge as of late. Their strong hardcore foundation combines with a chaotic sound, which at times seems to not have direction but is short and satisfying enough for any extreme music fan.
An added note: The underscore that appears in the The_Network is not a typo or mistake. The band apparently had to add this in because of several other bands with the name, The Network. Their bio states: “One last thing to add, there are a couple of other bands called the network, we know ...
“WE DON'T CARE ! WE ARE THE_NETWORK!” |
