Terminal Function - Promo 2007

Victor Larsson - Vocals
Stefan Aronsson - Guitar
Mikael Almgren - Guitar David Lindkvist - Drums

I'll not beat around the bush here - this is possibly the most awesome three-tracker I've heard since Nile's Ramses Bringer of War EP that paved the way to world domination. Granted, it is not an official release but if there is any justice in the world these three tracks (with an extra solo) will soon be seen adjacent to five other songs on a well-distributed debut album that has been two years in the making.

Something drastic has happened since 2005. The four core members have taken a side-step from their Theory in Practice worship, returned to the same peerless musical roots of that band (such as Atheist) and forged a new alloy from the same elements. The anthemic clean sung outro exudes with unapologetic gusto the chest-beating attitude "we are Terminal Function" and underlines the exponential increase in creativity and originality that precedes it. The complex, jerky but deeply harmonious Theory in Practice influences enrich the music rather than enslave it. "Spawn" owes more to the incomparable Nocturnus, in fact, with cosmic synths over slanted chords, a star-reaching pre-chorus and urgent arachnoid scalar scuttling. Cynic transients appear both in the foreground (as watery tranquil passages) and background (e.g. the pulsing convoluted fretwork that commences with the vocals on "Room 101"). The post-chorus of "Spawn" perfectly balances Theory in Practice and Death's Human.

Inevitably, Meshuggah lurks like Nosferatu's shadow, but it is their technical approach that is remodelled rather than specific riffs. Even when this overlaps into tone-for-tone clone territory, Terminal Function execute with such intensity, density, precision and passion that it would be perfectly acceptable to swim around Meshuggah waters for a while. "Tactile" and "Room 101" (to a lesser extent) fuse re-interpretations of Hagstrom grooves, Thordendal leads, Haake polyrythms and Kidman frenzies in very genuine and personal ways. Furthermore, the mid-section of "Tactile" shows the masters how effective drowsy synth chord progressions are over brisk staccato riffage. The solos are so masterful and multi-dimensional they sound like bona-fide Fredrik to my ears and in my opinion Thordendal is the finest soloist on the planet; high praise indeed. The mid-section of "Room 101" is an 80 second lesson in how to shred with innovation and feeling, varying from melancholic legato to twisted anger. I do not think any more could be expected of the drummer either. Meshuggah's Tomas Haake is held in high regard mainly because of his ability to maintain tightness while each limb is following a different pattern. David Lindkvist also finds polyrhythms a breeze, whilst leaving plenty of space for slick syncopation and impetuous and tortuous cymbal hits. Victor Larsson's vocals are a little more trebly than Kidman's (a little bit of Chuck Schuldiner perhaps) but their characters diverge when going for the higher register; Jens Kidman sounds like a demented Dalek but Larsson tends to sound more like Steeve Hurdle (Negativa) when straining excessively. Combined with the ability to double/triple vocal lines strongly in various ways, he is a formidable front-man.

It would be possible to write an extended essay on the intelligent way these guys construct their songs. The attention to detail is astonishing, with even the briefest fills never employing the same trick twice. Ephemeral glimpses of hidden layers are a key part of making the listener return for more and in the space of 8 weeks I'm probably approaching triple figures for the number of times this disc has been spinning. I really can't think of anything negative to say apart from the fact that the bass is the weakest link in the chain, having very little presence in the mix and with the band itself in need of someone like Anata's Henrik Drake to be the cement in this architectural triumph. Attention record labels - Sign. This. Band. NOW.

November 18th, 2007